Immortals and Ghosts
by zoepeanut
Summary: Spoilers for Alvarez Empire arc of Fairy Tail! Alternate-ending. Zeref failed in his war, surviving and living on to see the world forget about magic. As one of the only surviving wizards, he finds himself intrigued by an odd power managing to bring the dead back to life, albeit in a different form. Investigating ghosts at Amity High, he realizes there is more to it than he thought
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

 **Warning:** Contains spoilers for the Alvarez Empire arc of Fairy Tail. Alternate ending for the series as well.

Walking through the streets of Amity Park was a new resident. With dark black hair, a black t-shirt, and faded black jeans, he looked like an average teenager. The boy carried a white backpack slung over one shoulder, with his hand gripping the strap. The sidewalks were clear and the sun was just rising over town, an ordinary day for the residents within.

Gazing around, the boy's black eyes scanned his surroundings. This place had changed so much, he realized. After his failure during the war, Zeref had fled Fiore, hiding within neighboring nations and trying to quiet things down for a while. At the very end, he had finally seen Mavis again. Her words, her insistence that she both loved and hated him stuck with him to this very day. Even when she offered him the opportunity to die, he could not accept it. That burden was not hers to bear, not when he could clearly see how terrified she was of that very outcome.

A few cars passed by him in the street, making Zeref's hair blow slightly in the wind. Magic had been forgotten about, these days. In a way, that was his fault as well. He may have fled to avoid causing further destruction, after Mavis reminded him of the reasons he had valued life originally, but that did not mean the damage had not been done. Fearful of the power of wizards like Zeref, the Council had begun putting in new regulations on wizards. All of them had to be registered with the Council, regardless of if they were a part of a guild or not. In addition, they required each wizard to go through a careful analysis of their mental state and abilities before they could have any instruction on how to advance their power, or enter a guild.

Eventually, all of those regulations broke the careful peace that had been established. Wizards no longer practiced their arts, not willing to terrify the majority of the population with their power. Treated as monsters, wizards went into hiding until eventually, they faded away into the sands of time, nothing but myths in the eyes of the world. Zeref was a relic from those days, the last surviving wizard.

He paused for a moment, tilting his head at that thought. Perhaps that wasn't quite true, though he had no way of being certain. Mavis should be alive as well, though he had not seen her since the war. If he did see her, he knew he would need her help, however. There was a problem rising, an energy that had to be stopped. Only a wizard could handle this, and at the moment, Zeref was finally taking the initiative and attempting to help the world. He simply hoped it didn't backfire on him like it always did, with the curse he lived with.

Zeref continued walking down the sidewalk, passing a woman walking their dog. This city had once been Magnolia, he remembered. Nothing looked the same, though. More buildings had been built, the originals all demolished. Cardia Cathedral was nonexistent, and the landmark guild known as Fairy Tail had ceased to exist. In essence, Amity Park had completely destroyed the place Zeref remembered. It made him smile slightly, relieved to see that he wouldn't be haunted by old memories while he was here.

He was silent the entire time he walked, finally stopping when he stood before a much larger building, set apart from the residential homes of the town. It was rectangular in shape, with a dying field of grass in front of it. A sign on the building labeled it as Casper High, the words written just below the proudly waving flag of their country. This place was going to be difficult to adjust to, Zeref noted. There were few places these days where he could find isolation, but recent developments in the world had given him a new mindset.

Ghosts had suddenly sprung into existence, shocking Zeref. He knew from experience that death was not something that could be easily overcome, and as a result, he was now here. This city, Amity Park, was known for the unusually high ghost activity. Here, he could learn why people were coming back after death, in an entirely different form.

In a way, he could at least be grateful to their existence. Ghosts gave Zeref a way of not caring it people died, safely assuming they'd have a second chance at life as a different type of being. It kept his curse quiet, and allowed him to live peacefully amongst the growing population of the world. Isolation simply wasn't an option, but it didn't mean he was comfortable.

Walking passed a group of students, Zeref approached the front steps. He kept his head down, avoiding their curious gazes. Getting enrolled in a high school had been rather simple. Magic still came to him with ease, so after sitting down with the principle, he had managed to convince the woman that he'd been homeschooled until now, enrolling in Casper High. A bit of illusion magic on blank sheets of paper, and she was convinced that Zeref Dragneel was a resident of Amity Park, living with his parents, Irene and Invel. Since he had no documentation to prove his identity, that was exactly how it had to remain. Other students may be mystified by his sudden appearance, but that suited him just fine.

Bumping into a student in a varsity jacket, Zeref thought it would be fine to pay them no mind. However, the kid's blue eyes turned harshly towards him, glaring as he stood tall. "Hey, watch where you're going!" he shouted, putting a hand on his waist. "You better apologize. I could have fallen and injured myself just now."

Frowning, Zeref turned to gaze at the man for his stupid comment. This was another reason to dislike humanity these days. It seemed as if people had grown dull and boring over the years, lacking the intelligence that he used to remember seeing on others. "Yes, I suppose that is true." He wanted to keep his speaking to a minimum, despite his mild irritation with the man.

However, the athletic boy stepped forward, using his height to his advantage. Zeref silently cursed himself for being trapped in his teenage body, realizing that everyone would see him as weak for all of eternity. It had become more common in recent years, but it had started over the last few centuries.

"That didn't sound like an apology. Maybe you'll be taking the beating I had planned for Fenturd today." Dash insisted, pounding a fist into his hand. "After all, you do kind of look like him, and that nerd deserves it."

The boy was completely illogical, but Zeref still didn't push him. "Is that so? I will not stop you, however, it would not be wise to attack me. If you proceed to do so—" A bell rang, cutting off Zeref's comment. Glancing up, Dash pointed towards him with a scowl.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time, since I've never seen your face around here." he stated, moving to leave. "Make sure you watch where you're going, or next time, there's going to be a beating involved."

Letting the man pass, Zeref sighed and glanced at his own schedule. Thanks to that boy, he was going to be late for his first class. Shaking his head, Zeref moved through the halls, finding the room number posted above the door for his room. Walking inside, Zeref stopped for a moment as heads swiveled his way, staring at the intrusion. "Well, it looks like our new student finally decided to join us." the instructor stated. He was an older man, with little hair and a round belly. He had a blue shirt on with a tie and gray slacks. "Mr. Dragneel, I will let you know that tardiness is not going to be accepted in my class. Please, take your seat."

Without a word, Zeref nodded and moved to the empty desk in the room. It would be pointless to try and explain. Sitting down, he glanced around and heard a few whispers within the class. "Now that that's settled, let us dive into the wondrous world of algebra. Numbers are always so fun to work with, aren't they?"

A groan was heard echoed around the room, while Zeref felt tempted to join them. Magic required far more complex calculations that he was talking about. Theories behind development of spells and how they worked required intense focus, examining the energy required for something to be done by an actual person, then translating that force into terms of ethernano, and from there, converting that into a formula that decides exactly how much of that energy would be wasted within the casting of a spell. From all of those calculations, Zeref could determine if a specific spell was possible for use, in theory. Simple algebra didn't even touch on the logic required for that.

Tuning out the teacher, Zeref pulled out his notebook and began writing his own thoughts for the moment. He had not collected any data about ghosts yet, but he was working on theories about how they had come into existence. Resurrection was something he understood quite well, and certain systems were simply impossible due to the power required to activate them. Others, however, that were already supplied with outside energy, were slightly more plausible.

One theory he had was that this was someone who had managed to retain their magic after all of these years. With how hidden wizards had to remain in the past, it would not be entirely impossible that generations went by, keeping their magical talents hidden from the world. This wizard then decided to toy with life and death, creating their own versions of Zeref's demons with a similar spell. From that point on, their rational would be similar to his own all those years ago. Still, if that was the case, their name would be known by now. It had only taken about six demons for his name to become well-known, and for wizards to begin hunting him down in the past.

With that, he paused, his pencil stopping. If not a wizard, then what? Closing his eyes, he sensed outward, looking for anything that might give him a clue. There was a strange energy in the air, almost like magical energy but not quite the same. That, however, was not what caught his main attention. There was a lingering trace of magic mixed within it, one that felt familiar to him. A spell he had sensed before, but Zeref could not place it. Memories had become a blur, and it was difficult to determine what it was.

As he frowned in focus, centralizing his attention to that energy, a voice cut through his meditation. "Mr. Dragneel! First, you come in late to your first day, and now, I find you sleeping in my class." Mr. Lancer declared, making Zeref's eyes flash open. A few kids grinned and chuckled at his expense, but Zeref paid them no mind. Instead, he focused on the half-finished problem on the board.

Rising to his feet, Zeref walked to it with a calm look on his face. "Do not make assumptions. I dislike having to focus on tedious lectures." he stated, picking up a piece of chalk and scribbling on the board. The problem was basic algebra, likely for introducing the subject to these students. 5x + 3 = 7. Quickly showing his steps to gratify his teacher, Zeref easily solved the equation. X=4/5 or .8

Dropping the chalk back into the slot of the board, Zeref turned around and returned to his seat. Mr. Lancer stared with his jaw dropped at the board, clearing his throat after a moment and straightening his tie. "Well…I suppose there's no harm done. Anyway, let's move on…now that we've finished your introduction to algebra, let's move into the wonderful world of literature!"

Thus, Zeref's first day began. Letting his gaze wander over his peers, Zeref questioned if this would actually be of any value to him. The football squad in the back seemed to be where the bully from before was, glaring at him as a warning. Right next to them were the cheerleaders, seeming to be headed by a girl with dark black hair and curves that would normally draw any man to her for her looks. Far away from them, however, was another group of friends. A boy with black hair was staring over at him, frowning with confusion. By his side was a girl dressed entirely in black, and a boy with a red hat, glasses, and a yellow shirt. His blue eyes gazed into Zeref's black ones, frowning as Zeref returned to his theorizing. Let the boy wonder, he decided. No one here would ever figure out the truth, not when Zeref was nothing more than a fairy tale come to life.

 **Hello again! This is probably one of the weirdest crossover ideas I had amongst my scattered inspiration that kind of died off. Once again, I really have no clue where I want to go with this, I just wanted to try writing something with Danny Phantom, even though I am not all that familiar with that universe (I've watched the series, but keeping up with timelines is just weird when it involves cartoons to me). Either way, credit will be given if any of you help provide ideas that inspire me to keep moving forward with this story! A poll is also on my profile if any of you wanted to tell me which story you would prefer for me to focus on right now. Feel free to review with any feedback you may have!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

The new kid was weird, Danny decided. It had been nearly a month since the guy started at Casper High, and Danny had yet to even hear him speak outside of class. Heck, no one even learned his first name yet, leaving him somewhat as a mystery. The kid could answer any question with ease, yet half of the time, he seemed to sleep in class or doodle in his notebook. The guy's head was always in the clouds, and Danny wanted to know why.

Today, Danny was back at school, this time with a mission in mind. Right now, it was lunch, and he was going to use this time to finally talk to the new guy. "Hey, Danny." Tucker commented, standing next to him at his locker. He had just finished grabbing his lunch to move towards the lunch room, with his usual friends by his side. "Is something wrong? You've got a weird look on your face."

Shaking his head, Danny blinked and gave him a slight smile. "It's nothing. Just thinking about the new kid." he commented.

Sam grinned at that, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah, the 'mysterious Mr. Dragneel'. Don't tell me you're fawning over him too. I overheard Paulina talking about how cute he was, insisting that she was only more interested with how he was playing 'hard to get'."

That was the other issue. This guy had somehow managed to escape being tormented by the football team, despite his obvious intelligence. Danny didn't know if he was rich and bribed Dash, or if he had managed to convince those airheads that he was cool. Either way, the new kid had completely won them over within just a few days, and it irked him to no end. "I get a bad feeling about him, that's all."

Tucker nodded, patting Danny's shoulder as they began walking down the hall. "Don't sweat it, dude. We've got your back. So, what's the plan? Are we going to scope him out for a bit first, or were you just going to wing it?"

With wide eyes, Danny realized Tucker did kind of have a point. He couldn't exactly approach the new guy and tell him that his silence was suspiciously reminding Danny of a ghost. With how quiet things had been from ghosts lately, he was on edge and wondering if the new kid had something to do with it. Once again, it wasn't exactly something he could ask the guy about with ease, though.

Sighing, Danny walked into the cafeteria and shook his head. "Looks like I'm winging it. I didn't exactly have time to think of a plan."

"Of course you didn't. Look, while you two are being paranoid and questioning a perfectly innocent kid, I'll be over here, enjoying my lunch." Sam stated, gesturing to an empty table in the corner.

Sharing a look with Tucker, the two of them sighed and began moving. "Well, the new kid is a goth, I think. Maybe she relates." Tucker suggested, shrugging with one last glance towards her.

Unsure of if it was true or not, Danny simply brought his lunch over to the new kid's table and sat down. He was by himself, silently eating. Even when Danny sat down, the boy didn't move to even glance at him. "Uh, hey, I'm Danny! We saw you were sitting by yourself and…uh," Danny trailed off, watching as the boy didn't seem to react much to his words.

"Dude, did you hear him?" Tucker asked, leaning forward. "My friend said hi, aren't you at least going to respond?" When the boy didn't do anything, Tucker resorted to a more annoying method of getting his attention. Danny's friend began waving his hand in front of the boy's face, fanning his fingers and making him pause as he glanced up.

"I am not interested in friends, nor do I have any qualms about eating alone."

It was the first sentence Danny had heard the kid utter towards him. For now, it was progress of some kind. "You could have fooled me. You've got all the populars wrapped around your little finger."

The boy's unnerving black eyes flickered over to their table. As he did so, Paulina waved to him and tried to gesture for the new kid to join them. Trying to ignore them, Danny gritted his teeth together and focused on the kid. "I did nothing to earn that. In fact, I was quite certain the blond one disliked me immensely."

"That would be Dash." Tucker commented, frowning himself. "Don't take it personally, he doesn't really like anyone."

Letting his cheek rest on his palm, Danny sighed. "Paulina probably put in a good word for you. Either way, you could have any friends you wanted to have in this place. What's your deal with sitting alone then?" Danny insisted.

The boy seemed to scowl for a moment, before his expression calmed into a blank look. It was rather disturbing, how well controlled his expressions were. "As I stated before, I do not wish to have friends. My only desire is to finish my research…" the boy stopped, frowning again as he gazed out the window.

Smiling, Tucker tried to move in with this hint. "Research? We can help with that! Our friend Sam, she knows all of the best libraries in town and I can put together a schedule that'll give you time for friends, studying, and fun all in one day. That's what we did for Danny when he had to—"

"Tucker, not now." Danny stated, irritated. He didn't want to discuss the way they dealt with Skulker when he first arrived to hunt him down. That hadn't been one of his greatest moments, but it turned out alright in the end.

"I…are you offering…to help optimize my time?" the man questioned, sounding puzzled.

Glancing at him, Tucker sat up straighter and frowned. Danny could already guess his thoughts. This kid had a strange way of speaking. "Uh…I guess…" Tucker trailed off, uncertain of what else to add.

The new boy chuckled slightly, shaking his head as he gave an empty smile towards them. There was no light in his black eyes, and the overall effect sent chills through Danny. "Perhaps there is some purpose in remaining here. I was beginning to lose hope and starting to think that I was simply wasting my time. I had heard rumors…that ghost attacks were common in this city."

Keeping a smile forced onto his face, Danny laughed it off. Tucker did the same, sounding far more nervous than he did. "Ah…ghosts? Why would we know about that?" Danny stated, shaking his head. "I mean…sure, they're around here, but it's not like we have anything to do with them…right, Tuck?"

The self-proclaimed techno geek nodded with a grin on his face. "Right, no ghosts involved in our lives!"

The other boy's eyes were narrowed, studying the two of them closely. "I see. Keeping secrets is something I understand quite well, so I will not press for answers." Danny flinched at that, wishing he had just stayed quiet instead. "However, do not mistake this as me halting my research. I came here to find the origin of these 'ghosts'. Something is amiss in the world…and I fear that someone is paying the price for their actions as we speak."

"Price?" Danny questioned, frowning at the boy. The new kid only frowned, his gaze distant.

Slowly, he turned back towards Danny, focusing once more. "The dead are not meant to return to life, in any form. This is a lesson that was ingrained into me long ago, and one that you should keep in mind. Ghosts interfere with the natural order…if nothing has been done to stop it yet…" His voice trailed off, frowning as he closed his eyes. "I suppose that in and of itself is my issue. I simply cannot fathom why Ankhseram has not acted."

"Ankhseram?" Tucker questioned, glancing at Danny. The half-ghost only shrugged, just as lost as Tucker was. "Dude, I really think you need to get some sleep or something. First, you want to research ghosts, and now, you're just plain making up names."

The man pressed his hand to his forehead, covering his eyes as his fingers knotted into his hair. "No, those names have simply been forgotten. Everything…everything has been forgotten. Why? Why didn't I let her…it would have finally brought me peace, and then, I wouldn't have to deal with…" the boy trailed off, looking pained as he gazed back towards them.

Slowly getting up, Tucker looked a bit too freaked out to stay. Danny tried to grab his friend and pull him back, but he reacted too late. He would get back at Tucker for abandoning him later, right now, he had to deal with this overly depressed teenager who actually seemed to have broken into tears. "Uh…look, I don't really know what this is all about…but seriously, Tuck and I just want to help. You don't have to, uh, cry over it or anything."

The black eyed boy blinked a few times, glancing back towards him. "You wouldn't understand. Tell me, have you ever felt rejected by anything?" the man asked.

It was an odd question. Danny stared at him, unsure of exactly what he was asking. Sure, Paulina rejected him all the time, but he felt as if this new kid was looking for something deeper than that. Touching his chest, Danny thought about his other life, when he tried to protect Amity Park as Danny Phantom. There were plenty of people then that hunted him down, all because he tried to help. In a way, Amity Park did reject half of him, and Danny just hid that pain away.

Meeting the other guy's eyes, Danny slowly nodded. Leaning forward, the new kid began to speak in a quieter voice. "Imagine that pain, amplified. Imagine that rather than being rejected by a single person, you are rejected by the entire world. Entirely alone, and incapable of growing attached to anyone, you wonder if you should save this world that rejects you, or reject it in kind. Tell me, Danny, what path would you take?"

It was one of the strangest questions Danny have ever heard, yet this boy was completely serious. Danny questioned if his ghost powers had come out somehow since he began talking, because no one in their right mind would ask a kid if they wanted to help or reject the entire planet. "Uh…I'm not sure. Sorry, I don't usually think like that. I mean, I've got homework to worry about, so I don't really go out of my way thinking about rejection and uh, rejecting things."

Closing his eyes, the other kid seemed to take a deep breath. He looked calmer afterwords, but only slightly. "My name is Zeref." It seemed odd and out of place, but Danny would take the introduction anyway. "I don't belong here. The question I posed to you just now…is one I ask myself every day. Am I doing the right thing? Does it matter if it is the right thing? Sometimes, I feel as if I am about to break again…then, I remember her words." Something about Zeref's words alarmed Danny. There was something seriously broken in this kid. "If you aren't willing to help me research ghosts, then help me with this. Do not let me forget, Danny. This world is not ready for such power again, not when it has spent so much time recovering from my last lapse in judgement."

Danny didn't know what time this kid was talking about, but it didn't matter. He was on edge as Zeref rose to his feet and vanished into the crowds of Casper High. Remaining at the seat, Danny stared at the empty chair where Zeref had just been. That kid had gone through something terrible, to feel the way he did. Just what had happened to him? More importantly, what had he done that made him want someone to stop him? Danny didn't know, but now, this only seemed to confirm his initial hunch. Something was seriously off about that kid, and now, he had to get Tucker and Sam to see the same thing.

 **So, this story seems to be tied for first in my poll thus far, so I've tried to get another chapter made for it. Still don't have a whole lot planned for this one, so progress will be slow. Likely, chapters will be in either Zeref's or Danny's POV, since I still haven't decided which one works better for the plot progression in this one. Ideas and feedback will help! Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

Planning to talk to Tucker and Sam after class, Danny returned to Mr. Lancer's room for the continuation of their lesson. It was another boring lesson about history, discussing some war that had happened in the country. Dates flew past his ears, while Danny focused on Zeref's words. His gaze kept drifting over to the other student, finding Zeref strangely engrossed in the lesson. His eyes were clouded over, and he was grimacing with each word Mr. Lancer stated. If Danny didn't know any better, he would say Zeref was angry about the history lesson, which was just strange.

Things were going decently enough, until half an hour before the end of class. A chill ran through him and he sat up straighter, breathing out sharply with a tinge of cold air. His ghost sense was going off, and this ghost couldn't have worse timing. "Mr. Lancer, may I use the restroom!" Danny shouted, shooting up to his feet.

Raising an eyebrow at Danny, the teacher nodded and continued with the lesson. Hurrying away, Danny shifted as soon as he was outside the room. His hair turned white, his eyes turned green, and his entire outfit became a black jumpsuit with white gloves and boots, his signature logo on his chest. Grinning, Danny took off to find the ghost that had interrupted his chances of talking with Tucker and Sam. If he was lucky, he would be able to deal with this ghost quickly, and still have time to spare for that discussion.

Becoming intangible, Danny flew through the walls of the classroom, heading outside. This ghost was hiding pretty well, he thought. At least, that was before he felt a fist slam into his back and send him flying into the ground. "Found ya! I knew I heard there was some powerful ghost over here, all the others said that's where I'd find you."

The ghost's voice was strangely perky, and not nearly as intimidating as the ones he was used to. In a way, he sounded almost as threatening as Technus, albeit with a slightly deeper voice. "Another new ghost in town? Come on, after all these months of being quiet, you finally show up now, when I want to be left alone." Danny complained, turning to face this newcomer.

He looked…almost normal, considering the fact that he was a ghost. There were a few oddities, granted, but his body figure was quite human. He had spiky hair, pink in color, and a white scarf wrapped around his neck. Along his skin seemed to be a strange, scale-like armor, though it only came in patches. There were two small horns poking out from within his hair, dark brown in color. His outfit consisted of a dark black vest with gold trim, and pants of a similar style. Overall, his entire body seemed to glow with the usual green aura of ghosts, despite the coloring that made him seem so human.

Grinning, the ghost revealed a set of fangs in his mouth, that made Danny a little disturbed. "Nah, things just aren't all that interesting over here these days. They say there's something big happening back at home…I don't really get much of it, and I'm bored, so here I am! Fighting someone seemed like a good way to pass the time, and I heard about a half-ghost who had more than enough strength to challenge me."

"Yes, and you are?" Danny prompted. It was strange, considering what he knew of ghosts. Most of them were overly dramatic and loved introducing their name at any point in a conversation. The Box Ghost did it, Skulker did so to advertise how great of a hunter he was, and he didn't even want to get started on Ember.

Danny was too distracted to notice the sound of a door closing faintly nearby. "Who am I?" the ghost seemed to pause, frowning for a moment. His eyes narrowed, shaking his head. "Don't know, it's a bit hazy. The others just call me Salamander, if that helps."

Standing ready for a fight, Danny prepared himself slightly. "Well, Salamander. If you want a fight, you've got it. I'll have you back in the Ghost Zone in no time, you scaly freak." he insisted.

With that, Danny was in the sky, his hand held out towards Salamander. A green ball of energy built within his palm firing out in a blast towards the ghost. Seeing it, Salamander dodged quickly and grinned back at him. "You're not that bad. I'm getting fired up." the boy stated, taking in a deep breath.

Suddenly, flames seemed to ignite around the ghost's body. They danced on his hands as he charged forward towards Danny, lunging into the air. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" the ghost shouted. Danny wondered why he was stupid enough to declare his attack, but realized it was rather pointless considering how short of a warning he had. Before he could move or even go intangible, twin towers of fire came crashing down on him, sending him flying into the ground.

Staring at the ghost with wide eyes, Danny tried to recall seeing a ghost with this kind of power before. Sure, Frostbite had ice abilities, but actual fire? Not just fire made from ectoplasm, either, but legitimate flames were burning around the boy. "That's new." Danny commented, quickly rolling over to dodge Natsu's next attack.

Jumping into the air, Danny moved to fly away for now. A tactical retreat was necessary, while he thought of a way to deal with this ghost's power. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" the boy shouted. Prepared somewhat, Danny tried a different approach. Turning around and flying backwards, his eyes flashed a bright, icy blue. Cold spread outwards from his body, as he attempted to freeze the entire attack in place. The flames surrounded him, colliding with the cold and making him scream in pain as they merged. Flames dissipated and mixed with his ice, creating a huge cloud of steam that burned his skin and left him in just as much agony as the flames would have put him in.

Losing control of his flight, Danny collided with the grass of Casper High's football field. His back tore into it, digging out patches of grass and leaving trails of dirt on the ground. Glancing up, Danny saw Salamander approaching with a grin, his eyes bright and pleased as he stood over the half-ghost. Behind Salamander, however, was another surprising sight. Zeref was here, and he was frozen and staring in shock. "Natsu?"

The question remained in the air for a moment, making Salamander turn to see the newcomer. "Who are you?" the ghost demanded, sniffing the air. "You smell funny…wait a second…I think I know that scent…"

Looking pale, Zeref took a slight step back. "Has this really been happening for that much time? How did I miss the signs?" Zeref seemed lost, shaking his head with wide eyes. "Whoever is doing this…I will make sure they pay for putting you through this again, Natsu."

The ghost tilted his head, looking mildly confused. "Again? I still don't get what you're talking about."

"Me either." Danny added, sitting up and rising to his feet. He grimaced slightly, still feeling the pain from his healing burns. Thankfully, he had a great healing ability due to his ghost half, but that didn't mean he wasn't in pain. "I thought you said you were Salamander. Who's this Natsu person?"

"Dunno. Though, it does sound kinda familiar…" the ghost muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Observing the two of them, Zeref seemed to sigh. The man closed his eyes for a moment, looking conflicted. Then, he slowly began to open them once more, narrowing his gaze at Salamander. His open eyes seemed piercing and harsh. For the first time, Danny felt as if he understood the way Zeref had acted earlier. Those were not the eyes of a friendly boy, looking to help the world. This was the face of the man considering destroying it, for all of the pain he was going through. Danny was about to try and calm him down, when a single question came from Zeref's mouth, leaving him staring in silence. "Who did this to you?"

* * *

Rage was an emotion Zeref had not felt in a long time. However, upon seeing the twisted and altered face of his younger brother, it was all he could focus on. Keeping it in check had been simple at first, while he focused on the shock that Natsu was alive once more. However, that shock faded quickly, and now, anger was all that remained.

"Who did this to you?"

The repeated question was not any friendlier than before. Perhaps that was why they didn't reply. With his hands clenched into fists by his side, Zeref knew he did not look all that friendly at the moment. "If you're looking for a fight…" Natsu began, but Zeref cut him off, holding up a hand out towards him.

"You have forgotten…it appears even you cannot answer my questions." Zeref stated, almost sounding defeated. He had so many hopes for this, for the moment he finally encountered a ghost. Natsu knew nothing, however, and he had likely terrified this other one too much for him to gain much out of him. Something seemed familiar about the other ghost, but Zeref continued ignoring him for now. "Perhaps it is always a side effect of resurrection…it isn't the first time you've forgotten."

"Wait, are you saying you _knew_ him, before he died?" Danny demanded, walking forward. For a moment, he seemed to be angry and irritated, but then the white haired ghost blinked and looked a bit uncomfortable. "Uh, because that is highly unlikely! Us ghosts do not have mortal lives, we live in the ghost zone and have always been there!"

The strange way of trying to hide information was familiar to Zeref, and made it click in his mind. Most people these days would have likely fallen for it, but Zeref had years of wisdom within him to see the truth. "Ah, Danny. Now I see the reason for your insistence on having nothing with ghosts." Zeref smiled and shook his head, as the boy's eyes widened exponentially.

"Uh..who is this Danny you speak of? Granted, that is my name, Danny Phantom, but we have never once met, human!" he declared, still attempting to keep his cover.

Ignoring him now, Zeref focused back on Natsu. Sensing outward, he realized that unlike Danny, the energy around Natsu was still magic of some form. In fact, it was the same magic he had when Natsu was alive. Smiling, Zeref wondered if somehow, wizards retained their powers when becoming ghosts. It would make things a bit interesting in the future, considering everything that they could do.

Stepping forward, Zeref closed his eyes and found a spot to stand comfortably in the field. Air rustled around him, blowing his hair lightly and leaving the other two watching in silence. Telepathy was a magic he possessed, though it had been a long time since he used it. Touching Natsu's mind with his own, he felt the ghost recoil at first. Something in Natsu resisted him, but Zeref was skilled in magic, even after all of these years of using it only in hiding.

Once within Natsu's mind, Zeref began searching. He needed the boy to remember, at least, that was what he told himself. His brother had suffered enough in life. The war Zeref started had nearly taken his entire guild away from him. Zeref himself had put Natsu through so much pain, simply from his wish to give his brother a second chance. The thought made Zeref grimace, but he continued working. "Natsu…you are Natsu Dragneel…son of Igneel, brother of…" Zeref was trying to tell Natsu reminders, trying to prompt his mind to supply Zeref with the memories he was searching for.

Igneel seemed to be all that was necessary, however. Natsu gasped, clutching his head and hunching over. "Salamander!" Danny shouted, rushing to his side. "What did you do to him?"

Before Zeref could reply, Natsu stood up straight, glaring harshly over at Zeref. " _You._ Where the hell is my guild, you bastard!" Natsu emphasized his point with a fist, punching Zeref in the stomach and sending him flying into the goal post on the other end of the field. Leaning back, Zeref smiled slightly at his success. It wasn't the typical reaction of someone getting punched, but it was the reaction of someone who had just found out they had family alive in the world.

"Well, _brother?_ What the hell did you do to them? Where the hell are we? Why am I a freaking ghost?" Zeref remained silent in the face of Natsu's questions, letting the boy get his anger out. Approaching him, flames seemed to heat the air and eat away at the grass around them. Danny hovered nervously by Natsu's shoulder, looking ready to intervene, but Zeref shook his head ever so slightly. "Answer me, damn it!"

Punching down, Natsu slammed a fist into Zeref's chest this time. Grunting, Zeref once again didn't move to fight back. "Natsu…I am glad…I didn't think I would see you again…" he whispered, smiling again. The dragon slayer paused this time, blinking in surprise at the moisture on Zeref's cheeks. "I don't know how…I am not responsible for your reincarnation this time. In fact, I came here to determine what was creating ghosts in the first place."

Glancing between them, Danny seemed to consider acting and stopping further fighting. "Look….I don't know what is going on here, but there's no way you two are brothers. I mean…he's a ghost, and you're…not." Danny stated, glancing between them.

Turning towards him, both Natsu and Zeref frowned at his words. The dragon slayer was the one who carelessly answered, while Zeref chose to remain silent. "Yeah, but Zeref was right. Something brought me back…dunno what caused it, though. I remember dying…then it's a bit of a haze. Didn't even have any memories at first, until you messed with my head." Natsu's last point was emphasized with a nod towards Zeref.

The black wizard studied him for a moment, questioning just what this meant. "No memories, and coming back by an unknown force…at least this is something more to work with. Danny, what about you? You seem different then Natsu somehow…the energy is just as strong, but it is mixed with…" Zeref trailed off, widening his gaze. The ghostly energy around him was the same as what he sensed before, a restless energy that felt much like magic. However, mixed with this boy's ghostly energy was the lively, brighter sensation of ethernano. While it was active in Natsu, who could use magic with ease, Danny's magic power had built within him and never been released. "Are you truly a ghost? My theory had been that Natsu was this way, due to my own interference when he was alive. However, there is no explanation that fits you into that category…"

"You do realize that you are the only person who understands what you're saying right now." Danny commented, shaking his head. "I still don't get how you even figured it out…but I guess you could say I'm only half-ghost."

Frowning, Zeref glanced at the ground before him. Being half-dead was not possible, so it should be impossible for Danny to have such power. Still, it was the most logical conclusion, based on what he knew. "If you had not attempted to hide your identity, I would not have noticed the similarities between your mannerisms as a ghost, and as a human." Zeref explained quietly, still thinking more on the matter.

Landing on the ground next to him, Danny seemed to frown between the two. "You know, most people run away from ghosts. With a lot of screaming and terror, granted, but there is still the running. What the heck possessed you to make you run towards us in the first place?" Danny's question was quite reasonable, but Zeref wanted to contemplate what he had learned thus far. It was irritating to have to stop in his thought process, questioning how this power could affect Danny while he remained alive.

"As I stated before, I am researching ghosts. They should not exist, thus, they are an anomaly that interests me greatly." Zeref stated, shaking his head.

With wider eyes, Danny seemed to take a slight step backwards. "So…that means you're going to start hunting me down, doesn't it? Damn it, I've already got my parents, the guys in white, and Valerie…I didn't need another ghost hunter added into my life!" The boy seemed legitimately concerned, but Zeref smiled and shook his head.

"If I wished to kill you, you would already be dead." Zeref stated calmly, while Natsu scowled in response. Before the dragon slayer could object, Zeref continued on. "No, I do not mean to harm any ghosts in existence. Once I have determined the force creating them, I intend on destroying the person responsible. So long as you are not the creator of ghosts, you have nothing to fear from me."

"Nah, he didn't do it." Natsu stated confidently, crossing his arms over his chest. "I didn't hear anything about him until…maybe a year ago? Two years? Time doesn't flow the same over there as it does here, so I can't say for sure."

Raising an eyebrow, Zeref focused on his brother. It seemed as if Natsu had calmed enough to talk, and right now, his brother could be his greatest ally. "Time flows differently in your world? That is odd, Chronos typically is good about establishing a steady flow of time…something is interfering with it along with the balance of life and death? No, that doesn't quite fit…" Zeref trailed off, trying to break his habit of speaking out loud. It had grown worse over the years, but it truly started when he was isolated on Tenrou Island. Now, he had to cut himself off, before going on tangents about magic and how it worked with others around him.

Shrugging, Natsu sat down on the ground next to Zeref, still looking a bit wary of his brother. "I'm not good with that kind of thing. Though, a lot of the ghosts right now are getting excited over something. There's a lot of…I don't know how to describe it. Energy? It's like ethernano, but for ghosts. Most people call it ecto-energy, or something similar, but I guess it doesn't matter too much what its called. Either way, there's a lot of it building in the ghost zone right now, and most of the ghosts are staying around to try and become more powerful by absorbing it."

"Uh-oh. That can't be good…" Danny commented, looking worried. "If ghosts become more powerful, then they'll be even harder to keep under control."

"Is this the start of another war?" Zeref murmured softly, glancing towards the sky. Wars had never truly stopped throughout history, but he had hoped that this era of peace would last longer. "Regardless, I need more time. Natsu…I understand that I've made you suffer in the past, and that I do not deserve forgiveness. Still, I must ask you….are you willing to put that aside and aid me? These ghosts do not belong, and while I am capable of stopping them, I need a ghost to help me understand what is happening to people when they die."

Slowly, Natsu began to grin, casually throwing an arm over Zeref's shoulders. The black wizard stiffened, unused to being touched by others even now. "Sure thing, brother! I thought I told ya before, you needed to start acting like a real brother if you wanted us to be friends. This seems like a better place to start than that war you began before, doesn't it?"

Feeling the heat from being so close to his brother's body, Zeref slowly shook his head with a small smile. "Perhaps it is." he stated quietly, glancing over to see Danny watching them. He seemed to have grown a little bit more relaxed around him, and it was only emphasized when a ring of light surrounded the boy's waist, slowly breaking apart and spreading across his body. It was an odd thing to see, but it worked much like transformation magic, turning his body back into the boy he remembered meeting first.

"If you need help from some ghosts, count me in too. With all the ghosts sticking around the ghost zone for a while, I'm gonna need something to do to occupy my time." Danny grinned at them, leaning down and offering Zeref a hand to help him back up. "Tonight, I'll bring Tucker and Sam up to speed as well. You won't be alone in this investigation, Zeref. Don't forget, things like this turn out better if you have friends to help."

As much as he wished for that to be true, Zeref had to glance away and avoid answering. Memories of his last close companion fluttered into his mind. Mavis truly had been his only friend, throughout all of his years. His life was so lonely, yet that was how it had to be. If Danny knew the truth, perhaps he wouldn't make such a foolish suggestion. After all, wishing to be friends with him was simply another way to wish for death.

 **Still stuck in drafting this one a bit further out from here...but I can at least revise what I've written, right? Either way, this story is still tied for first in my poll, so I thought I'd push out another update for everyone. Any suggestions, future ideas, and comments are appreciated! Please review and tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Danny Phantom or Fairy Tail

Despite his words, Danny still felt uneasy about his plan concerning Zeref. The guy was insane, not only running into fights with ghosts but also incredibly secretive. He was a puzzle to be figured out, and with what little Danny had heard from the guy, he figured it would be best to keep a close eye on the new student. After the fight with Natsu, Zeref had left with his supposed brother, stating that he would inform Danny if his assistance would actually be needed. It was a start, at least, but Danny knew he had a long way to go before getting that guy to tell him anything.

If that wasn't bad enough, hearing about what was going on in the ghost zone made him even more on edge. Ghosts were becoming more powerful, just by sitting around and waiting. He needed to get stronger, if he was going to face them again. However, that wouldn't work if he had no ghosts to practice his abilities on. Instead, he found himself sitting on the stairs in front of the school, waiting for Sam and Tucker. With his friends, he knew he'd figure something out to deal with all of this, before it was too late. Maybe then, he'd also understand what Zeref's obsession with ghosts was all about. Sure, ghosts were the spirits of dead people, but Danny had grown used to it after so much time seeing and fighting them. There was no reason for anyone else to be interested in just studying them, and not actually stopping them from interfering with the world.

Danny supposed the most alarming prospect of what he had overheard were the comments about war. While it had been brief, Natsu's comment about how Zeref had started a war was what really drove Danny to try and deceive the guy into telling him more about his past. The guy was way too young to be involved in anything like that. Granted, Danny was dealing with his own battles, but he was half-ghost. It kinda came with the territory, but Zeref didn't have any excuse. So, what was he up to instead?

When the bell rang, Danny remained where he was as students began leaving. Normally, he would have returned to class after fighting a ghost. This time, he couldn't bring himself to do that. Too many things were running through his head, and he could care less about knowing the year the civil war's first battle began. Later, he'd find time for studying, but right now, he had to deal with this mystery kid trying to eliminate someone supposedly making ghosts. Oddly, Danny had never once considered someone was responsible for their existence. Always, he had just assumed it was natural for them to be around. After all, he had grown up with ghost hunters for parents, in a town where ghosts seemed to lurk around every corner. It seemed even weirder to imagine a world without ghosts at this point.

Tucker and Sam walked by, stopping and waiting for Danny to get back up as the crowd began dispersing. "Hey, what happened? Did the ghost get away?" Sam's question was reasonable, as it was unusual for a fight to take him away from class for this long.

Leaning his cheek on his palm, Danny frowned. "You could say that, I guess. Did you know that ghosts actually come from people that died when they were alive?" It was a random comment, one which made Sam cross her arms over her chest. As she did so, Tucker reached out, giving him a hand to pull him to his feet. "Well, I apparently just fought Zeref's brother…not to mention something I said managed to reveal my secret to the guy. I just don't get it! I've managed to keep this secret for over a year now, and in just one day of meeting the new kid…he figures it out instantly."

"Wait, the new guy knows your secret?" Tucker's eyes were wide as his voice grew louder, while Sam's arms dropped to her sides. Giving Tucker a slight glare, the self-proclaimed tech geek gave a nervous laugh before lowering his volume. "Sorry about that. It's just…what are you going to do, dude? Telling us is one thing, you know we'd never rat you out. But that new guy…he's crazy, there's no telling what he'll do!"

Running a hand through his hair, Danny began walking away from the school, with his friends following after. Sam narrowed her eyes at Tucker, rolling her eyes at his comment. "I highly doubt he's crazy. You two are so quick to judge, try and see things from his perspective from once. I have a feeling he's just tragically misunderstood, like so many of us these days. See, this is why I stay out of your crazy plans involving people. Your theories about them are just rude, especially when you can't actually get to know a person after talking to them for five minutes."

"It was seven minutes and he started talking about how impossible it was to resurrect the dead!" Tucker sounded angry, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing in response. "Tell her, Danny. You stuck around longer than I did, so what's really going on with the new kid?"

Biting his lip, Danny glanced around as he turned down a new street, walking along the side of the road. A car drove by, providing a slight breeze that blew his hair for a moment. "I don't know, Tuck. The guy…I think I have to agree with Sam. He isn't insane…but he isn't exactly stable either. At lunch, he seemed okay…though he was a bit weird. Hey, that reminds me, do you think you could look something up for me?" Danny's trail of thought wandered back to his comment about being punished for creating ghosts. "He mentioned two names, one at lunch and another during the encounter with that new ghost. Ankhseram and Chronos…I want to know what is going on with this kid. He seems pretty calm in class, but when he ran into Natsu…for a moment, I thought he was going to try and destroy the world."

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Sam eyed Danny closely, looking doubtful as Tucker nodded in agreement with his words.

Glancing away, Danny couldn't help but feel that same instinctive warning in his gut about the guy. "I don't know, maybe? The guy basically told me he's considered destroying the world in the past, then asked me to make sure he doesn't do it again. This was before he knew I was half-ghost, too!" Throwing his hands in the air, Danny realized it was pointless to try and explain it away. Sam did have a point, he had hardly taken the time to get to know the new kid. Sighing, he let his hand drop to his sides, kicking away a rock that rested on the sidewalk as he moved forward. "Heck, maybe Tucker was right in the first place and he's just insane. Either way, there's something about him that keeps making me feel like he's dangerous. It's like my ghost sense going off, but it isn't quite the same…it's hard to explain."

Patting his shoulder, Tucker gave Danny a supportive smile. "We've got your back, so don't worry about it. Operation spy on the new kid is a go, and if you need any tech, I've got you covered. My new PDA is now compatible with these high-resolution video cameras I got at a discount online. If we place them right, I'm sure we'll catch Zeref in the midst of his villainous acts!"

"Or, we'll bore ourselves out of our minds watching a poor, innocent kid doing nothing." Sam shook her head, sighing at them. "Look, I know your instincts have been right in the past, Danny, but just…be careful, okay? Things like this, they can hurt people if they figure out the truth. Zeref is already anti-social enough, he doesn't need anyone throwing harsh words his way to add to his problems."

Snorting, Danny began moving closer to his home. They were nearing the corner where it resided, the single building on the street with red bricks for walls and a massive op station attached to the roof. "I highly doubt a few words will hurt his feelings. The guy took a punch from his brother and shrugged it off with a smile. Heck, he didn't even seem phased by the fact that I hid my ghost half from him…speaking of which, if you guys hear any rumors going around…"

"We know the drill, Danny. Keeping your secret has been our job ever since that accident occurred, so I doubt we'll fail to brush aside a few stray rumors now." Sam gave him a slight smile, walking passed him and up to the door of his house. Pulling it open, she walked inside with Danny following after her.

"What are you doing about all this, anyway?" Tucker began moving towards the stairs, trying to avoid catching the attention of Danny's parents. They had a lot more to discuss, and he didn't want to deal with hearing about his parents' latest invention.

Following after them, Danny gave a slightly nervous laugh. "Uh…I kinda agreed to help with his research?" That made them pause, both turning towards him with wide eyes.

"You did what?" Their unison shout told him that he hadn't quite made the right choice.

Pushing past them, Danny moved towards the hall to head into his room. "It was kinda a spur of the moment thing. He was asking his own brother to be a part of whatever experiments he had in mind…so I volunteered myself too. I figured it was the best way to keep an eye on what he's up to, if he is really up to anything anyway." With that, Danny plopped down on his bed, flopping on his back and resting his arm over his forehead.

"Congratulations, you've now entered a whole new level of impulsive, unheard of until this very moment." Sam's sarcasm made Danny grimace, already understanding. Who knew what kind of experiments Zeref had planned? Likely, it would be painful, and Danny didn't even want to know what would happen if one failed. Was he looking at disfigurement? Losing his powers? Death? He had no idea, but right now, he wasn't eager to rush into finding out.

Sitting down in the chair by Danny's computer, Tucker frowned. "That sucks, man. Not only do you have to deal with your parents' crazy inventions going haywire, now you've also got to live with intentionally subjecting yourself to tests by some stranger."

"At least we know he isn't planning on killing Danny. So, the tests should be a bit more exploratory, right?" Sam's suggestion didn't make Danny feel any better. Her phrasing made it feel like he was about to be dissected by a sullen teenager that spoke in riddles. "Who knows, maybe the kid wants to help ghosts? Did you guys ever consider that?"

Turning towards the computer, Tucker shrugged. "Whatever. All I know is that I'm not letting some kid at our school torment my best friend. We've gotta get to the bottom of what he actually wants before this goes bad." Turning the computer on, Tucker's focus began to pull away from the conversation.

Leaning forward to watch him, Danny couldn't help but smirk at his friend's antics. "I see, and playing video games will tell us everything, right Tuck?"

Spinning around, Tucker glared at Danny. "Hey! For your information, I was doing research. There has to be something in here about those stupid names he mentioned. The internet has answers to everything!" His reliance on technology never ceased to amuse Danny, and with a sigh, the half-ghost leaned back on his bed.

"While he does that, I probably should be heading home. My parents are expecting me for dinner…" Shuddering slightly, Sam began moving towards the door. "Just be glad you two don't have to join me. Have fun researching an innocent kid, tell me if you find any actual proof of your suspicions."

With a slight wave, Sam walked out. The door shut behind her, leaving Danny staring up at the ceiling while Tucker searched. Really, he probably should be studying to make up for lost time, but he still couldn't get his mind off of the new kid. The way he spoke…it wasn't like a normal high-schooler. He acted like he knew everything, and something about him just seemed off. Those black eyes of his were disturbing enough, without him becoming angry. When he did get angry, they looked like they were on fire, ready to burn the world around him to ash. Then, there were the times when he was thoughtful. That would make his eyes distant, and in a way, that was even more disturbing than his anger. His eyes would look like they were lost, yet so full of information that Danny couldn't comprehend what the kid had actually seen.

"I've got it! And here I was, thinking it would take some time to figure out who the heck Ankhseram was supposed to be." Tucker grinned at Danny, who sat up and blinked at his friend. "Who's the best friend in the world? Who found out exactly what is making Zeref so crazy?"

Rolling his eyes, Danny rested his hands on the mattress behind him. "Just spit it out, Tucker. Who the heck was he talking about?"

"Brace yourself, because you aren't going to believe this." Moving away from the screen, Tucker smiled widely. "Our new student…is a cultist nut! Ankhseram is some old deity, once worshiped as the god of life and death. As for Chronos…he is the god of time. Basically…Zeref believes in mythology and worships multiple gods at once."

Frowning, Danny jumped to his feet and moved towards the screen. "That can't be right…Zeref didn't sound like he worshipped god."

"Gods. Plural, Danny, not singular." Tucker's correction really wasn't necessary as Danny scrolled through the page. There wasn't much on Ankhseram, to be honest. A few sites with basic info on the god confirmed exactly what Tucker had stated. He could see a little bit more on Chronos, though. The god of time, overseeing the past, present, and future. That god wasn't meant to interfere unless the situation was dire…as Danny read more, he couldn't help but chuckle and think of Clockwork. This god sounded a heck of a lot like the ghost he ran into on occasion.

Running a hand through his hair, Danny sighed. "This isn't really helping. Knowing that Zeref was afraid of a god trying to punish someone…it just sounds a bit too weird to be useful, Tuck. Thanks, anyway. At least we know his reason for wanting to look into ghosts is because of some creepy religion of his." Still, it didn't ease the feeling in his gut. Something still didn't feel right about this explanation. Zeref's comments about Ankhseram had been given with a bitter voice, as if he greatly disliked the deity. Maybe he had lost a lot of his family to death, but even then, it wouldn't lead to a misguided conception of the god going around punishing people for trying to bring back the dead. Either way, he wouldn't figure it out tonight. He needed more information, and for that, he'd have to wait to talk to Zeref again and learn more about exactly what the guy was planning to do with ghosts.

 **Sorry for the delay on the chapter! I finished Karma of Contradictions...but then a family member of mine passed away. I haven't really been focusing much on writing as a result, but since this one is the new lead story on my poll, I figured I'd at least revise the next chapter I had drafted out and get it posted. Reviews will help me figure out where I want to take this story and ideas are more than welcome! Please offer feedback on where this story should go!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Danny Phantom or Fairy Tail

After Tucker left, Danny was expecting a peaceful night. He had homework to catch up on, and with the low ghost activity in town, he texted both Sam and Tucker to cancel tonight's patrol. The last few nights they had gone out, it had just been a waste of time anyway. Flying around in the skies searching for ghosts could get to be pretty boring if there weren't any ghosts around. So, he settled into his room, lying down on his bed with text books and notebooks scattered around him.

The majority of his homework was in his least favorite subject, math. Danny was usually okay with the others, even if he fell behind because of ghost hunting. History just required some memorization, and cramming, while not good in the long-run, allowed him to get by until the next quiz in that subject. Sciences came naturally to him in a weird way. The material just made sense to him, so while it was usually difficult and challenging, all Danny had to do to catch up for chemistry was read through the chapter he missed on his own. English was all about a matter of interpretation, too. Granted, most instructors seemed to think he was wrong about what some object symbolized in the book they were reading, he at least still got credit for trying. Passing with a C in English was still passing, so he settled with putting the majority of his make-up studying into math.

Normally, he'd try and do this kind of work with Tucker. His friend was a genius when it came to math, due to all of his work with programming his tech. Danny didn't understand half of what Tucker described doing with his PDA and other tools, so he just settled with understanding the basics taught in class. After keeping Tucker at his house all day talking about his suspicions involving Zeref, Danny didn't quite feel right asking his friend to stay just to work on homework. He'd have more fun at home playing video games, and maybe later, Danny could join him if he finished soon enough.

That was another thing that irked him about Zeref. The guy managed to answer every question in class, while not even listening to the lessons. Heck, Danny had no idea what was so intriguing about his doodles in his notebook, but from what he had seen, the guy definitely wasn't using that book to take notes. Sitting next to the guy in class gave Danny a decent enough view of the guy's notebook to see unusual circles traced on the lined pages. Some contained multiple on one page, and other times, Zeref would use entire sheets of paper for a single circle, mixed with odd symbols and patterns within. Overall, the doodles were interesting to look at, but they didn't seem to match the focused look of concentration the boy wore whenever he drew them.

Shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts, Danny put his pencil to paper to focus back on his math problems. Assigning twenty questions a night was ridiculous, especially when he had other work to get done. This was going to take him at least an hour to finish, and that was being optimistic. That would be the best-case scenario, in which he actually could get through the questions without having to find someone to help him. Right now, he had already decided Tucker wasn't an option, and there was no way he would go to his parents for help with school. That left Jazz as his only option, and he didn't want her to lecture him on waiting so long to start on his work.

Groaning, Danny tried manipulating the equation on the page again, still struggling to see what he was doing wrong. Why did they have to put the variable on both sides of the equation? It just made it so much more annoying to see the answer. Grumbling under his breath, Danny finally tossed his pencil down and sighed. Maybe a break would help him figure out what he was doing wrong. After all, it was just the start of the school year, so it wasn't the end of the world if he failed one assignment. Later on was when the pressure would really start.

Walking downstairs, Danny found himself heading into the kitchen to grab a snack before continuing on his work. His parents weren't in here, to his relief. They were probably working on some project in the lab, so it likely meant he would be dealing with the mess afterwords. Getting some water and a bag of chips, he moved to go back to his room when a knock was heard at the door. Frowning, Danny glanced towards the clock, wondering who would be here so late at night. Sure enough, it was already past eleven. Tucker really had spent a lot of time here earlier, and he was pressing his luck to get his homework done in time as it was.

Eyeing the door carefully, Danny shrugged. Maybe it was just the wind, since he didn't think they were expecting guests tonight. However, another knock came after a few moments, just as Danny began to ascend the stairs again. Pausing, he turned back to stare at the door, only to see his parents rushing up into the living room at the sound.

"Who in the world is knocking on the door at this time of night?" Maddie walked over towards the door, with Jack following behind her.

Glaring at the handle, Jack placed his hands on his hips. "Some people have no respect for others. Honestly, we were so close to finishing the Fenton-Detector 2.0. This time, it will actually succeed in detecting when a ghost is near, unlike the last time when it kept mistaking Danny for one." Slapping his forehead, Danny resisted the urge to groan at his dad's obliviousness.

Opening the door, Danny watched from the stairs as Maddie blinked at the person standing on their front porch. From where he stood, Danny could hardly see who it was, even with the extra elevation. Moving closer, Danny walked to his mother's side to see the young girl gazing at them with green eyes. Long blond hair flowed down to her ankles, where her bare feet rested. She swayed slightly, her eyes drooping as if she couldn't stay awake any more. As she began stumbling forward to correct her balance. Danny grabbed her arms to stop her from falling completely.

Glancing weakly towards him, she seemed to barely cling to consciousness. "Please help…ghosts…" Her voice grew weaker towards the end, too quiet for him to hear as she continued trying to whisper her plea to him.

"Ghosts! Maddie, did you hear that? This girl has been attacked by a ghost!"

Standing ready, Maddie responded by rushing to the closet, pulling out a blaster and aiming it towards the door. "Stand back, I've got us covered. We will destroy the ghost that harmed this child."

"Uh, Mom?" Danny watched her blink at him, slowly turning when nothing else came through the door. "I think she just ran away from a ghost. I figure we would have seen one by now if she was being followed."

Shifting slightly, the girl seemed to try pulling away from him. Turning towards her, he could see that she was still swaying slightly, but more steady than before. "Oh, you poor thing." His mother came over to her before Danny could say anything to the stranger. "Do you need a place to stay? We don't exactly have a guest room…but for any victim of a ghost attack, the couch is always open."

"Mom!" At the top of the stairs, Jazz had just arrived to see what the commotion was down below. "Are you seriously offering to let a stranger stay in our house? That's dangerous for all of us. Honestly, you guys are so hopeless I can't believe you sometimes. Letting a stranger into your home is one of the best ways to get robbed, or even worse."

Jazz's gaze flickered over towards the girl, whose eyes seemed to move towards Jazz in return. "I'm sorry, but you have to find somewhere else to stay." Jazz was getting ready to push the girl away when Maddie stepped between them, placing an arm around the stranger's shoulders.

"Now, Jazz, is that any way to treat our guest?" Her calm voice seemed far too cheerful, all things considered.

"Maddie is right! If we let the girl stay here, maybe the ghost will follow and try tracking her down! Then, Maddie and I can disassemble it, molecule by molecule." He sounded proud of his future achievements already, though Danny just wanted to get away from this. His parents could try and use the girl as bait if they wanted, he needed to get his work done so he could sleep before school tomorrow.

Rubbing her eyes, the stranger seemed to bite her lip, her fingers intertwined in front of her. She couldn't have been older than twelve, Danny thought, but there was something odd about her that he couldn't explain. "Sorry…I guess I am just a stranger to all of you." She glanced around, giving Jazz a weak smile and offering her hand. "So, I'll just have to change that if I'm going to stay, right? My name's Mavis!"

It was a startling recovery, one which made Danny narrow his eyes at her. Shaking her hand, Jazz seemed to glance around the room, uncomfortable as well. However, Jack and Maddie only smiled at the girl, encouraging her. "Good to meet you, Mavis!" Jack declared. "My name's Jack, and this here is my wife, Maddie, and my daughter, Jazz. Glad that you're recovering so well already, do you know which direction the ghost went?"

With her gaze avoiding theirs, Mavis kept a smile on her face. However, there was a slight shaking in her arms and moisture building in her eyes that wasn't falling yet. Still, despite the moist eyes, there was something intelligent in those green depths. Even with her head hung low, Danny could have sworn he felt her eyes burning into him, observing their every move. "I can't…my parents…they're all gone!" She let out a wail, collapsing on the ground. Those tears still didn't' fall, at least not yet. "They said I have to keep smiling…and I've been trying. Tears scare away the fairies, so I can't cry…I can't…I can't…" She trembled slightly, her forced smile seeming to melt the hearts of his empty-minded parents with ease.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Jazz glanced back at Danny and raised an eyebrow. Nodding, he moved to stand by her side. At least one person realized this was just an act, but he still had no idea what purpose it served. "You poor thing." Maddie's repeated comment made Danny roll his eyes. "Jazz, she is staying here for tonight and that is final. Danny, how long have you been standing there? You should be in bed, you have school tomorrow." Blinking, Danny realized his parents hadn't said a word to him yet.

"Uh…not long! Just came down to get some snacks before continuing on my homework. Speaking of homework…Jazz, would you mind taking a look at this problem for me?" At least this would give both of them an excuse to leave this strange girl alone.

Smiling brightly, Mavis seemed to ruin his attempts, however. "I'll do it! I'm great with school work, and I love reading books. It is the least I could do for letting me stay here." With that, she seemed to grab Danny's hand, dragging him upstairs after her. Glancing back, he could see his parents smiling after them, while Jazz seemed to glare at them before following after.

Uncertain of how this girl had figured out where to go, Danny let her drag him along until she stopped in the hallway, frowning and staring at the different doors. Running a hand through his hair, Danny took the lead with a sigh. "Come on, it's over here. Jazz is still joining us too, though." The girl nodded, looking rather unconcerned as they entered his room. When Jazz came in last, she shut the door and followed Danny over to the bed, glancing down at the work he had scattered all over the place.

"Danny, you need to keep your work organized! Doing your work like this will only make it take that much longer, and it will lead to confusion when you go to look back through your notes for studying." Jazz's corrections on his school habits weren't what he wanted to focus on right now.

Picking up a notebook at random, Mavis seemed to study his notes in response. "Actually, these notes do appear to have an organization to them. Despite being scattered across the room, each page is neatly written, including diagrams to explain examples within each section. In fact, the majority of these seem to utilize drawings of some form. Do you learn best visually?" Mavis' assessment of his notes made Danny blink, uncertain of what to say. However, his confusion was quickly replaced with irritation and he snatched his notebook from her hands.

"Hey, don't go through my stuff without asking first!" He glared at her, replacing it on his bed as he sat down, pulling his assignment back out.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Mavis frowned. "I was only trying to help." She studied Danny closely for a moment, before shaking her head and smiling again. "Besides, it won't do you any good if you don't learn the material, so I need to know how to teach you! This is my first time actually being a teacher, this is going to be so exciting!" There were practically stars in her eyes as she sat down next to him, her eyes pouring over everything he had sitting out.

"Wait, you offered to help without knowing how to do so?" Jazz sounded rather irritated. "It's one thing if you actually are qualified, another if you're just stepping in where you don't belong. I don't know who you are or what you are planning, but let us get one thing straight. I know for a fact you didn't come here after a ghost attack, and I also know that whatever Danny is learning in his classes is at least four years ahead of whatever you are learning now. Even if you somehow miraculously can understand what he has written in his notes, that does not mean you can teach someone else how to—"

A laugh interrupted her as Mavis threw her head back and turned towards Jazz with a bright look in her eyes. When her laugh died out, Mavis blinked, shaking her head slightly. Her hand pressed against her forehead and she had a slight grimace, while they sat in silence for a few moments. Then, she dropped her hand and seemed to focus on the covers of the bed. "Sorry, I guess I'm still not that great at acting yet. I really don't want to hurt anyone here…it's just that there is something important I have to do in this town. My parents really are dead, if that helps."

Her voice was quiet and soft, but she didn't look at either of them as she spoke. Jazz bit her lip, glancing at Danny for a cue on how to move forward, but Danny only shook his head. He already had one mystery person to figure out, he didn't need another added in to the mix. "Well, that…that doesn't change the fact that you've proved my point. We can't trust you, and you shouldn't be here."

Looking up at Danny's homework, Mavis grabbed a pencil and began scribbling out some work. Within a matter of seconds, she seemed to arrive at an answer to the problem. Revealing her work to Jazz, she steadily met his sister's gaze. "I may have proven one of your points to be valid, but there are other parts of your assessment that are flawed. Despite how old I appear to be, I have already completed my education entirely, and I did so without any aid."

Setting the page back down, Mavis sighed and closed her eyes. "Someone taught me something very important, long ago. I really…part of me just wants to try and be like him, to be strong enough to…" She trailed off, biting her lip. "Either way, I know I have a long way to go. So, I figure helping you two is a good way to start, right?" A smile seemed to return to her face, as well as a brightness to her voice. "There are some parts about my old teacher that I didn't like, but I always admired his strength and ability to accomplish any goal he set his mind to. So, if I'm going to be a teacher, I'm going to do what he did and become the best one you've ever had!"

"Uh, I think the more accurate word would be 'tutor'…" Danny trailed off, uncertain of if he should encourage her or not. Glancing at Jazz, both of them were beginning to wonder exactly who this person was that they had let into their home.

"Just where did you grow up anyway? At your age, you should still be in middle school! How has no one ever even heard of a child genius like you growing up in Amity Park?" Jazz sounded astounded by the news, but Mavis only smiled and shook her head.

"Nope! Not telling, it's a secret." She flashed brilliant white teeth in a smile, before focusing back on Danny. "Now, your problem with your , for a problem like this, how would you start it?" With that, she seemed to ignore Jazz's further questioning, focusing entirely on math. Danny kept trying to let Jazz interrogate her, curious about Mavis himself, but after a while, he caved in and settled in for the lesson. After a while, he couldn't help but admit that Mavis was a pretty good tutor. She was patient and she seemed to brighten the room with her smiles, though Danny couldn't help but notice the shadows under her eyes and the way she seemed to shy away from contact with others. Something bad happened in her past, and whatever it was, it was still haunting this girl. Maybe there was more than one mystery to solve with the newcomers in Amity Park, because right now, Danny didn't know who was more concerning—the bright girl with obvious secrets and a haunted past or the dark boy whose very way of speaking left everything about him a mystery.

 **Sorry for the long delay! I believe I said that last chapter as well...but classes are starting soon, so delays are going to be far more common now anyway. Plus...I kinda started writing an original story! Took me forever to get an idea for one, and I'm still waiting to see if it turns out any good or not. Either way, still unsure of what to do with this story, and most of the other ones I have started on this site. Reviews will help inspire me on where I want to go with these stories! Please tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

The next school day, Danny was exhausted and hardly able to stay awake for more than a few moments. Mavis may have been good at helping him, but that did not mean she was fast about it. They had ended up staying awake nearly until two in the morning, and that meant very little sleep before school. With the girl staying at home with his parents, Danny couldn't help but wonder how she would avoid their interrogation. His ghost obsessed parents had already been trying to pry answers about her supposed ghost attack out of her over breakfast. If she planned on staying longer, he knew that it would only get worse.

Still bleary eyed at lunch, Danny felt like the day had gone by with a blur. Lancer had reprimanded him early on, though he hardly heard a word. Apparently, his extended absence had already been noticed, and he would have to stay after school today. Right now, that was the least of his worries. As he began to nod off for the tenth time today, Danny failed to notice who was sitting at his usual table with him. Tucker and Sam were there, but two others were also joining him.

As a boy with pink hair set down his tray at the table, Danny's back went stiff and his ghost sense went off. Blinking, his eyes widened at the sight of Natsu, or at least, a vaguely similar guy. The same hair color was there, but his skin was smooth instead of scaly. Any signs of his ghostly heritage was lost, and he looked like a plain guy. Sitting next to him, Zeref seemed to frown and lock eyes with Danny, as if daring him to say something. Now that he thought back, he realized that Zeref hadn't been in class today. This explained a few things, he supposed.

"Danny! Earth to Danny, are you here at all today?" Tucker waved a hand in front of his face as Sam spoke to get his attention.

"Not happening. Wherever his mind has gone, it is somewhere we'll never follow." Sam's exaggeration made Danny frown, taking a bite of his lunch. Soggy fries and hamburgers, a combination that most high school cafeterias served often, was his current meal.

With Zeref among them, Danny wasn't certain what to expect. The guy seemed to be acting normal, at least, normal for him. He was silent, eating his food, and Natsu seemed to be watching the room carefully. "So, this is school, huh? Gotta say, it looks as boring as it sounds. I wonder if I could—"

"No." Zeref's comment interrupted before Natsu could even finish. "Despite what you may think, there are rules in this place. While I cannot say I know you well, I imagine any battle you planned on instigating would break such rules."

"Aww, come on! I already picked a fight with this guy," Natsu jerked a finger towards Danny, who blinked at him with wide eyes. "I didn't get in trouble for that!"

Pinching his nose, Zeref seemed to grimace slightly. "That was when you appeared to be a ghost. In this form, you will be treated as you used to be."

"And I didn't get in trouble for it back then, either!"

"Uh…should we be interrupting them?" Tucker glanced at Danny, watching them go back and forth.

"I don't know, but it is kinda refreshing to see him acting like a normal person for once." Danny saw that get him to pause, frowning and glancing towards the half-ghost for a moment. "Look, was there something you wanted to talk about? I already kinda gave Tucker and Sam a heads up on what was going on."

"Yeah, and we learned all about your weird religion too. You could have just mentioned that Ankhseram was some god you worshipped, I didn't mean to insult you, dude." Tucker gave him a slight smile, one that Danny thought looked a little forced.

Zeref didn't even bat an eye at the expression, instead focusing on Danny. "Worship is not the word I would use." He was quiet, frowning and tilting his head slightly. "In terms of what we will be discussing, I believe it would be best to wait until after school. In essence, I am interested to know how a being such as you came into existence…to know what combination created someone who is what you are."

Smiling, Sam nodded and pulled out the food she brought to eat. "I'm game for hanging out after school. Wanna join us at Danny's to talk things over?"

Glaring at her for the suggestion, Danny scowled. "That might not work out, actually. We've got an unexpected house guest."

"Wait, what? Don't tell me you've got Vlad visiting again." Tucker knew what a disaster things got to be when Vlad was around. He didn't want to imagine his house with Vlad in it, not with the way he seemed to always be trying to flirt with Mom.

Shuddering at the thought, Danny shook his head. "Ugh, no, but I still don't have a clue about this one." Glancing towards Zeref, he noted the way the man was frowning at their conversation.

"Most people do not seek shelter in the homes of strangers. Is there anything particularly valuable in your home for this stranger to seek out?"

It sounded a lot like Jazz's accusation from last night. Even Natsu's eyes were narrowed, thinking about the issue. "My parents are fanatical ghost hunters. Unless Mavis wants to try and take defective ghost hunting equipment, she should be looking elsewhere."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Danny thought back to her comment last night. She said there was something important to be done in town, but he couldn't imagine what was wrong. However, his words seemed to make Zeref grow still, his eyes widening ever so slightly. "Mavis…I see. Only she would be so bold, I imagine." He chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "In that case, I do think it would be best to discuss matters with her present. I do not know what she has revealed to you, but Mavis is far more than she lets on. In terms of strategizing, there is no better tactician than her."

"Wait…are you talking about the First—"

Before Natsu could finish, Zeref covered his mouth with his hand. Danny say a stern glare begin given as Zeref narrowed his eyes. An uncomfortable silence fell over the table as he watched them, before Zeref dropped his hand with a sigh. "Sorry, Natsu's memories still appear to be problematic. We did not…part on the best of terms, to say the least."

"Don't try and dodge the explanation, Zeref! You tried to kill me." Natsu seemed to growl at his brother, while Tucker choked on a fry.

"Hold on, _kill?_ I find it hard to believe that someone like Zeref would try and hurt anyone." Sam narrowed her eyes at both of them. That got a slight smile from Zeref, while Natsu glared at her in return. "If that wasn't enough, you still haven't even told us who you are. You better have a good explanation too, because making baseless accusations is just wrong."

Shaking his head, Danny lowered his voice. "That's because he's a ghost. I still haven't figured out why you look so different, though." Blinking, Sam glanced between them.

"A ghost…? Wait, that means you're…you're Zeref's brother." Sam's eyes were wide, while Tucker finally managed to stop coughing, blinking over towards them with wide eyes.

"I don't care who you are, I think it's insane for you to stick around him if he tried to do that!"

Tilting his head, Zeref observed Tucker closely. "In all fairness, we were fighting on opposite sides of a war. It is only expected for two parties involved to battle to the death."

"Don't you care at all about family?" Danny narrowed his eyes at the man, while Zeref's black eyes seemed to become even darker.

"More than you can possible imagine. I've sacrificed everything for my family…lost more than you could comprehend."

"Yeah right." Tucker snorted, shaking his head. "If you sacrificed so much, why is _he_ the ghost and not you?"

Closing his eyes, Zeref seemed to sit stiffly for a moment. When he opened his eye again, his expression was blank, revealing nothing. It was unnerving, and it made a chill rush through Danny. "That is something I cannot reveal to you. My past is my own, and it is best if it is left alone."

Those words, Danny couldn't help but think back to Mavis. She had said her job here was a secret too. Was it at all related to her connection with Zeref? Clearly, this guy knew her, but he had no idea how. "You went ahead and butted into my secrets, what's wrong with us doing the same to you?" Danny crossed his arms over his chest, trying to push him for answers.

For a moment, Zeref remained silent. Then, he sighed and tilted his head slightly. "Would you truly believe the truth, even if I revealed it to you? Most do not, at least, not anymore. In fact…I cannot recall the last time I encountered anyone capable of accepting the reality of this world we live in. There is little that humans understand anymore, despite how advanced they think they are."

Catching on to his comment, Danny leaned forward. "Are you saying you aren't human either?" His voice was quiet, daring Zeref to admit it.

"I am quite human, however, I also stand apart from humanity in my own way. Much like you, it is difficult to determine exactly where I fit in, as a result of a mistake I made long ago."

"See? I told you guys, there is nothing wrong with Zeref. So what if he's a little brooding? He's got his own problems and you two had no right to judge him." Sam sounded pleased with her declaration, while Zeref only smiled darkly in return.

"If these two wished to hate me, then they have stronger instincts than I first suspected. If they claim I am dangerous, if they claim I am not to be trusted…they would be correct." That made Sam's smile vanish quick, while Tucker dropped his food and glanced at Danny. None of them knew what to say in response to a guy openly admitting he wasn't someone to be trusted. "I am dangerous, and I am not someone you should desire to be your friend. If you truly examined my history at all, you would come to see the truth, to see that all who come near me ultimately meet the same fate."

"Yeah, but you're different now." Zeref blinked as Natsu spoke, glancing towards his brother who shrugged. "Dunno how to explain it…but you're not the same guy I fought against back when Fairy Tail was around." Another name to look up, Danny decided, but he remained silent. "You're a lot calmer, and right now, you're looking into something important. I mean, I get exactly what you are saying. Ghosts really shouldn't exist…something is wrong, and I wanna get to the bottom of it."

Before Danny could try and figure out more details, a scream came from outside the school. Already seeing a battle in his future, he rose to his feet. Zeref's gaze followed after him, frowning slightly as he glanced outside. "I…I don't think you need to interfere." Pausing by the wall of the cafeteria, Danny glanced towards Zeref. His brows were furrowed and he was focused on the window. On the other side, people were running through the streets, screaming as a single person stood in front of a massive army of ghosts. All of them were different shapes and sizes, but the green glow of the army remained present and marking them for what they were. Leading them, however, was the only human, one Danny had met just the other night. Mavis was gazing down at everyone with a cold gaze, and seeing that, Danny's frown turned into a glare. She had tricked them all, making them believe she was sweet and innocent. He was going to stop her now, no matter what it took. Ignoring Zeref's advice, he quickly hid under the table and shifted into his ghost form. Then, in an instant, he took off outside, flying towards the army where Mavis and reporters were beginning to gather, recording the chaos going on in Amity Park.

 **I've finally found the time to edit another chapter! Been super busy, so I haven't had the time to really think much on where this idea is going. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

Zeref had gotten up due to the strange sensation of magic in the air. He had expected to see something unusual, due to the rarity of wizards these days. He did not expect to see _her_ for the first time since the war ended. Gazing out the window Danny had just flown out of, Zeref froze and stared at Mavis with wide eyes. Seeing her now, he couldn't help but see memories of her flashing through his mind. This was the girl that had pushed him into an era of inactivity, not once, but twice. She was the person who let him cling to the value of life, despite surrounding himself with death. Her bright smile and desire for family inspired him to try and see his curse in a new light. Despite suffering and being alone for her entire childhood, Mavis had found a way to see a brighter future ahead of her.

That had been the case for a long time, at least. The last time he saw her…he could remember the way she had been sobbing over his injured body. After getting ahold of Fairy Heart and the time rift, everything had been present for Neo Eclipse to activate. However, Natsu and Mavis both rose, stopping him at the last second from stepping through those doors and reliving his life. Then, Mavis had told him something he had needed to hear, something he didn't even realize he had been missing. She told him of her plan, of the strategy she had in place for defeating him. For the first time in his life, he had someone who valued his existence, someone who wanted him to live on. For that very reason, he was not able to let her give him the dream he had for so long. She would have suffered, had she gone through with it. Then, she would be the one harboring his dark goal, the one with the wish for nothing but death at all costs.

Seeing her again now, it brought back all of his old mixed emotions for the girl. She embodied everything he wasn't, and it drew him to her. When he told her to leave him be that day, she had still seemed conflicted. Part of her wanted to save her guild, and for that reason, Zeref had realized just how much he would be destroying if he activated his spell. So, he left Fairy Heart behind, leaving it combined with the time rift, the only thing capable of containing such an endless power. These days, no one would even realize its affects, as it was simply a source of power for a spell that only he knew how to cast.

Danny flew closer to where she stood, shouting something that was muffled by the glass. Mavis only seemed to smile, a look that sent chills through Zeref. He could recall another war beginning long ago, where he stood as the head of a vast army against a small force of friends lead by Mavis. Despite the fact that he did not consider anyone here a friend, Zeref could not help but see a reversal of that scenario. That dark smile on her face, and the illusionary army of ghosts, it felt like something he would do. This wasn't her. With a scowl on his face, Zeref decided that hiding was not the most important thing anymore. Mavis was supposed to be his guiding light. He would show her just why he was the one known as the Black Wizard, and not her.

Teleporting out of the cafeteria and into the street, Zeref didn't even bother to see Sam and Tucker staring after him with wide eyes. Magic was difficult for people to believe in these days, but this event would make it simple. Outside, he could now hear Mavis' voice, being picked up by the microphones reporters held in the helicopters above the attack. They foolishly believed being in the air would protect them from ghosts, when such creatures seemed to be capable of flight. The sight made him chuckle slightly, shaking his head and approaching Mavis.

"—will be simple." He missed the start of her speech, but it was continuing on quickly. Danny watched from above, looking for an opening in the army's ranks. "I have come leading this army for one sole purpose; to obtain complete and utter control over all Ghost Portals in Amity Park. Anything less and we will annihilate this town, and everyone who stands in our way. However, if you peacefully surrender now," Mavis spread her arms wide, gesturing behind her as she smiled up at the camera. "I will make all of this go away. No one has to die, if you give in to me now. I don't want to be the reason for your deaths."

The last sentence was quieter than the rest, and it was what made Zeref pause and truly study Mavis. Above him, Danny's hands were clenched into fists, glaring down at the girl, but he saw something else. The way she spoke, and the way she carried herself, it was reminiscent of their war for a reason. She had created a strategy of her own, based on his failed attempt to activate Neo Eclipse. This time, she had to play the role of the unforgiving and ruthless invader, one which did not match her personality. So, she based her new persona off of one she already knew—him.

She still had yet to notice him here, he realized. Stepping forward, he planned to speak with her, at least to ask what she wanted with this place, but Danny interrupted. Diving down, he seemed to lift a fist towards her with a glare. "Oh yeah? Well, then you can rest in peace knowing that you at least went down with a fight. There's no way we're giving in to the demands of a crazed villain like you, not when I, Danny Phantom, am here to protect this place from scum like you."

Seeing his attack enraged Zeref for the second time in recent days. For a brief moment, he lost control. Vanishing from his spot just beside the school, Zeref reappeared in front of Mavis in an instant. Holding out a hand, he glared at Danny and caught his approaching fist. He had barely been pushed back by the boy's attack. However, that came at the cost of a slight snapping sound as his wrist bent too far, snapping slightly and making him grimace as pain shot through his arm. Staring into wide, glowing green eyes, Zeref smirked and threw the boy back, ignoring the way the pain seemed to surge with the motion.

Flipping around a bit in the air, Danny slowly righted himself and blinked at Zeref, who stood in front of Mavis with a scowl. "I told you not to interfere." His voice was dark and filled with warning, daring Danny to attack again.

"She's trying to take over Amity Park with an army of ghosts!" Danny pointed towards Mavis, who seemed to have stilled when Zeref arrived. "What do you expect me to do? Roll over like a good little dog and hand the town over to her? Not a chance, Zeref. I don't know a thing about you or her, but I do know the people in this town. I will defend it, no matter what it takes."

Hearing such a bold declaration, Zeref's smile widened and he lifted his hand. Stepping away from Mavis slightly, he closed his eyes and felt the power he had ignored for so long. So many years were wasted on pointless research and idle resting. This was who he was, the most powerful wizard to ever exist. The restless energy electrifying his veins, giving him warmth and healing his wrist in an instant, this was what he missed most from the era of Fairy Tail.

Lifting his head to gaze towards Danny, he began to unleash it, slowly at first. Just a small swirl of darkness surrounding his body, not even thick enough to reach two inches in front of him. "Be careful who you challenge, Danny. I told you before, you were right to be wary of me…to feel as if I were a danger to this world. Did you not recall our conversation before? This time, I'll let you watch how this world rejects me…then, it will be your turn to join—" He felt a hand touch his arm, making him break off and stop his magic. The damage was already done nearby, however, with deadened plants revealed as the spell vanished from sight. Right now, however, he was staring into Mavis' green eyes, seeing them wide with shock and surprise.

Seeing those eyes, he felt the burning rage in his chest lessen ever so slightly. This was not the side of him Mavis loved, he knew that much. She had wished to fix something broken beyond repair, but at the very least, he could calm himself into a semblance of the man she remembered. As she gave him a small smile, Zeref couldn't help but feel as if he had made the right decision so long ago. Letting them both live, so she would not suffer as he did, was the path he was meant to take. Maybe death would have brought him peace, but it would have put her through so much worse.

Behind him, Danny returned a bit more slowly. Taking advantage of Zeref's distraction, the boy launched an attack. This punch was filled with ghostly energy, leaving his fist swarmed in green as it collided with Zeref's back. The force sent Zeref colliding with Mavis. Landing on the ground, Zeref quickly tried to roll over to keep her from getting too injured. However, the momentum seemed intent on keeping her pinned to the street, and her shrieks of pain made him wince. "Whatever the heck that was, I'd say it more than warrants this. I told Sam you weren't someone we could trust, and it looks like I was right." With a smirk, Danny seemed to wait for Zeref's next move.

Taking a deep breath, Zeref realized controlling his rage was going to be more of a challenge than he first thought. "Do you not recall what I asked of you before?" He still didn't know what drove him to confide in Danny about this, but now, it came in handy. His words seemed to make the ghost boy stop, his confident smirk falling slightly. "Do not push me further…or I will forget yet again. My anger is not something to be toyed with, not with what it unleashes on the world."

Inhaling deeply again, Zeref felt his magical energy grow dormant again. Shying away from that power felt wrong and unnatural, but society forced him to become this way. "Zeref…you're really here." Mavis' quiet voice made him open his eyes again. "I didn't think I'd see you again, not after…" She trailed off, biting her lip. Nodding, Zeref avoided her gaze and noticed Danny watching them, standing stiffly nearby. "Are you here because of the time rift too?"

That made him blink, turning back towards her. "Time rift…? Its existence is hardly noticeable, why would you..?" Trailing off, Zeref sensed his surroundings for the familiar magic. It was in the area, so even if he wasn't standing directly by it, he should be able to sense it However, what he felt was completely different than it had been centuries ago. For starters, it seemed to be far larger than it used to be. It was still growing as well, feeding on the energy in the air and encompassing more space every moment they spoke. His eyes widened at that realization and he took a step back, gazing at the sky. "It can't be…who interfered with it to such a degree?"

The growing rift in the air didn't just seem to have grown. If he focused hard enough, it felt almost as if it was…leaking. The energy within had expanded beyond its capacity, and now, that energy was moving into the air. However, he expected that energy to create an excess of ethernano in the air. Instead, it seemed to feel a lot more like…Danny. Turning his head towards the half-ghost, Zeref studied him closely. That endless power he had left behind so long ago, it wasn't as pointless as he had thought. This entire mess, this unnatural energy, he had created it by attempting to alter fate yet again. Much like bringing the dead back to life, he was punished before even succeeding in his goals, only this time, he didn't even realize the punishment until it was too late.

"The ghost portals…from what I've gathered in town, people have determined a way to safely enter and leave the void created by the time rift." Mavis explained it to him as his mind raced, trying to determine more details. If the time rift itself had formed the world in which ghosts existed, that meant he was the one responsible for the very phenomenon that brought him here. He was the one resurrecting the dead yet again, yet he wasn't even trying this time. "However, it has been steadily growing since we were last here. I've been trying to keep an eye on it…trying to figure out how to delay the end…but I just, I can't…" Mavis seemed to struggle, breaking off and staring at Zeref for help. "Please, you have to know what to do about this! No one understands stuff like this better than you. Isn't there a way to eliminate it entirely?"

Eliminating the time rift would require using all of its immense energy. The only spell that even tapped into it was Neo Eclipse, and re-establishing it just may create a second time rift, even further in the past. Altering the time stream was exactly what had created it in the first place. "Hold on a second…I may not understand exactly what you two are talking about, but that piece I think I got. Are you seriously talking about destroying the ghost zone?"

Danny's question made Zeref realize the boy was still here. This time, he didn't look quite as hostile, though he was still eyeing the ghost army warily. "I know it sounds extreme, but believe me, it must happen." Glancing towards Zeref, the black wizard couldn't help but grimace and nod.

"She is correct…I had not noticed it when I first arrived in town, for I did not know what I was searching for." Turning towards Mavis, Zeref sighed and shook his head. "This illusion will bring us no closer to your goal, however. Even I cannot think of a method capable of destroying a rift in time itself…that is a job beyond my capabilities."

"Rift in time…wait, could at least one of you try and explain what is going on?" Danny looked irritated, while Mavis seemed to hang her head. Behind her, the entire army seemed to vanish in an instant, making Danny jump back in shock. "And what was that? Where did all the ghosts go?"

Sharing a look with Mavis, Zeref closed his eyes and shook his head. "I told you before, you would not believe my tale. You see, it takes an open mind to accept the truth of this world…to accept that in an era long before this one, there was a power known as magic that a large portion of the world possessed. It was during this era that a war began, a war between races now extinct to fight for who would control for the world. During this war, a boy was born…a boy who was fated to become the greatest villain the world has ever seen."

 **I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but I am a huge Zervis fan. Likely, there will be at least hints of the pairing in this story...if not featuring it in some greater measure somewhere along the line. Either way, did you like my connection between the ghost zone and Zeref's spell? That idea was what really started this crossover originally...but I still find myself getting stuck in the process of keeping it going. Feel free to review and tell me what you think! Suggestions are welcome if you have something in particular that you'd like to see!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

Most people would have waited until everyone was present to provide a full story. Zeref, however, did not trust everyone with his past so easily it seemed. Before continuing even further, Zeref began walking back towards the school, away from the watching eyes of the cameras and reporters around them. Granted, they weren't really close enough for voices to be heard, but he clearly wasn't taking any chances. Following after him, Danny began to speak. "Hold up, magic? Races now extinct? How long ago are we talking?"

"Yes, magic. If you must know, I am speaking of dragons, and we are talking about…" Zeref frowned, while Danny worked on processing all of this. "To be quite honest, I cannot remember how long ago. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of years ago. Regardless, that boy…he only had one dream. He longed for peace, for an era when he would not have to worry over losing his own life to the monstrous beings that terrorized mankind all across the globe. However, he did not realize that it was not his own life that he should have felt concern for."

By Zeref's side, Mavis grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. It was becoming quite obvious that these two were closer than Danny first thought, but that wasn't his focus at the moment, not with the realization that magic just might be real. Sure, he believed in ghosts, but magic was still a bit unrealistic to him. "This boy was a prodigy by all rights. If given the chance to learn a branch of magic, he would master it in less than a year. He developed theories about magic that even adults could not conceive of and he challenged the fundamental theories upon which magic was based on. That knowledge could have been used for great good, if the tragedy had not occurred…if his dreams had not been horrendously altered in a single moment."

Walking towards the school, Danny folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. At this point, none of this seemed to tie in to their current problems. "Look, if you're just going to give me some fairy tale about a tragically misunderstood hero, I'm out. I've lived through that life, thank you very much."

"Oh? Then you do not wish to hear about how the boy brought his dead brother back to life, using forbidden magic? Or about how he gained a curse of the darkest of nature, one which brought about death and chaos to the world? Or how about the spell he developed to alter time itself, the one that created a time rift that grew until it became an entire world of its own, known to mankind as the ghost zone?"

That got Danny's attention, making him stop and stare at Zeref with wide eyes. "Wait, what? Are you saying…that some kid centuries ago used some magic spell…and that eventually it created some catastrophic disaster that ended up being the ghost zone?"

"No, the disaster has not yet occurred." Mavis replied for him, watching Danny steadily. "However, if it continues at this rate of growth…the ghost zone will continue to consume our world, until nothing else remains. It will expand and take over everything, leaving no life left but that which exists in the ghost zone."

Blinking, Danny's eyes were wide before he slowly began to smile. "So, the problem lies with some kid's mistake in the past, right?" When Zeref nodded, clearly wondering how many times he'd have to explain this, Danny continued on. "Then I think it is time we paid an old friend of mine a visit. It's been a while, but I just might know someone able to fix all of this."

From the school doors, students were now beginning to walk out. They approached the area where Mavis' army once stood, standing around in confusion to try and figure out what just happened. However, Sam and Tucker stayed close to the school, searching for their friend. "I find it doubtful that you can comprehend exactly how complex this situation is. What we are dealing with is more than a simple realm where the dead reside, it—"

Waving him off, Danny decided he didn't care about the details. Magic was overly complicated from the sounds of it, and he didn't want to study even more to figure out what was going on in Zeref's head. "Yeah, yeah, the ghost world is dangerous and it is destroying our world. However, if the problem really is someone meddling with time, then I actually know a way to fix that. A good friend of mine can reset any tampering done, no problems."

"Danny!" Sam rushed over from the doors, walking by the walls of the school to approach where their group stood. Zeref seemed to be frowning, his gaze distant for a moment anyway. Meanwhile, Danny had both of his friends attacking him, giving him giant hugs in their rush. "What were you thinking, trying to take on so many ghosts alone?"

"Yeah, dude, that was reckless, even for you." Pulling away, both Tucker and Sam gave him some distance. Meanwhile, Danny's focus remained on the guy who apparently knew more about ancient history than anyone he had met. Danny had never heard of wizards or magic, so he was still doubtful about this tale. Either way, Clockwork would be more than capable of either fixing the problem, or proving this guy wrong.

Seeing his gaze, Zeref seemed to slowly shake his head. "That will not be enough. A complete reset…it would be difficult to say what it would result in." At that moment, Natsu came rushing over as well, slamming a fist into Zeref's side. Both Tucker and Sam jumped away, noticing the flames covering his fist before Danny even saw them.

"You idiot! What the hell were you thinking, trying to start another war? Do you want me to try and kill you again or what?"

Natsu's shouts only seemed to make Zeref smile, sitting up and shaking his head. "If you believe you are capable, you are more than welcome to make an attempt." His uninjured form once again left Danny frowning, studying him for signs of burns. Something was seriously wrong with this guy. Maybe it had to do with the magic he kept mentioning. Likely, based on what he had heard, both Mavis and Zeref were capable of using it. "Regardless, this war was not of my creation. In fact, it was Mavis' strategy to utilize such an event to gain control over all entrances to the time rift."

"Hold on, time rift?" Tucker pulled out his PDA, quickly punching in some numbers while Danny sighed. He didn't want to get into this a second time, not when Zeref already explained everything once. "The odds of something like that existing are one to nine-hundred-seventy-four-billion! That's like, practically impossible! Not to mention the actual implications on reality. I mean, technically, people walking inside could end up reappearing at any moment in time again, kinda like a black hole, but way harder to predict."

"Tucker, I think he gets it." Sam placed her hands on her hips, watching Zeref with narrowed eyes. "Still, he has got to have a reason for believing it exists, right?"

By his side, Mavis smiled brightly and stepped forward. "Of course! You haven't noticed anything because you believe ghosts are a natural occurrence. Really, their existence is just a side-effect of the time rift."

"Combined with Fairy Heart." Zeref's quite comment made Mavis glance towards him. For a moment, she blinked with surprise, before narrowing her eyes and stomping closer to him. Zeref leaned back, avoiding her gaze as she glared at him.

"You didn't! Zeref, you of all people understand how unstable that power is. Why would you just…leave it lying around?"

Lost once more, Danny could only stare and watch them continue on. "It wasn't obvious to anyone nearby. The time rift itself covered the existence of the energy, so it was highly unlikely for anyone to realize it existed, much less be capable of harnessing it once more."

Still scowling, Mavis turned her back on him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I guess you've learned your lesson. So, who are your new friends? I've already met Danny, and it is always good to see my old guild members again!" With that, she sent Natsu a grin, waving over at him. In return, the ghost blinked, sniffing the air around her. It seemed unusual, but the girl didn't react to his actions.

"Uh…I'm Tucker, and this is Sam. We're Danny's friends, and if you think we're letting you attack this city, you've got another thing coming." Tucker walked forward, putting away his PDA and smirking at the girl.

Reaching out, Mavis snagged his hand before Tucker could even offer it. "It's great to meet you! I'm Mavis, and I'm an old friend of Zeref's. From the sounds of it, we're going on an adventure together. Come on, let's go find this friend of Danny's so we can start working on saving the world!"

Shaking his head, Zeref sighed. "Mavis…you do realize how difficult this will be. Do you even realize what we will be attempting to reverse? Not to mention what purpose the time altering spell was used for?" Zeref's gaze was focused solely on Mavis, while Danny once again frowned at him. There were still more secrets hidden in this guy. How many could he possibly have? That creepy death power of his had been bad enough, and this girl seemed to be able to summon and disband armies with a wave of her arm. Giving them even more power just sent shivers down his spine, and it made him realize he probably should know more about them before giving them directions to the home of the most powerful ghost in the ghost zone.

That made Mavis' smile falter slightly, though it didn't vanish completely. Instead, steel seemed to enter her green eyes and she nodded, glancing towards Danny. "It doesn't matter what odds we face. You of all people should understand the power of feelings…and know that with them, we can accomplish impossible tasks. This friend of Danny's, if he can reset the past, he should be capable of doing more."

"Can he do so without establishing another rift in time?" Zeref's question made her pause, while Mavis focused on Danny. Realizing she was waiting for him, Danny glanced towards Sam and Tucker. Both of them seemed to look like they wanted to be left out of this, so Danny sighed and focused back on them.

"All I know is that he's done it before. I don't know much about time rifts or how they're created…but I do know that my friend can do a lot more than you might think." Closing his eyes for a moment, Danny took a deep breath before standing tall. Focusing on Zeref, he decided it was time to get rid of secrets. After all, the guy already knew the biggest one Danny had. "Look, we both have our reasons for not trusting each other. You hardly know me, and I've not only attacked you, but I attacked your family too." That was stated with a look at Natsu, who grinned at him.

"Hey, I started that fight, and I planned on finishing it. Zeref just got in the way."

Not letting him stop his rant, Danny ignored Natsu's comment. "At the same time, you've kept everyone in the dark about who you really are. Mavis came to my house, lying about her past, and you just don't talk about it at all. The only thing I can really say for certain about you is that you have an odd interest in ghosts and you hate the idea of even having friends. However, for this to work…we're going to need to come to some kind of a compromise."

With a smile, Mavis walked over to him and nodded. "Of course! I never said I wasn't willing to talk to you, Danny. I'm always happy to make new friends…" She trailed off, biting her lip and glancing away. "Though, in recent years, I guess I can't say I've done much of that. It's gotten difficult, with everything else going on."

Behind her, Zeref's gaze remained cold and distant. He was the one Danny was really worried about, the one that had far more secrets than the girl. "We will become allies, nothing further. I've stated before that I dislike having friends, and that I had no intention of making any. That fact still remains true, Danny. However…we will need as much help as possible, if we will be doing what I think we will be. The boy I spoke of…he is stubborn in nature, and he had his heart set on an impossible dream."

Nodding, Danny began moving away from the school towards his home. By his side, Sam smirked and shook her head. "Sounds like someone else we know." Feeling her gaze on him, Danny rolled his eyes and kept walking. Sure, he wanted to try and protect everyone, but that wasn't entirely impossible. However, gaining the acceptance of the town…maybe that was what she was referring to. Being a hero was great and stressful at the same time, but sometimes, he just wanted to be normal like everyone else. Still, he stubbornly insisted on always doing the right thing, on fighting for Amity Park no matter the cost.

"Then we are all in agreement! Let's get going to meet Danny's friend." With a smile, Mavis began following after, practically skipping with each step. Behind her, Zeref mutely began moving as well. Glancing over his shoulder, Danny couldn't help but wonder how these two ended up becoming friends. They kept their distance in some ways, never doing anything more than light touches. However, the way Zeref jumped in front of her when he had attacked…it showed that he truly cared about this girl that seemed to be his opposite in almost every way. That desire to protect someone, that was what pushed Danny past his instinctual fear of Zeref. He couldn't be that bad if all he wanted to do was keep his only friend safe, so for now, they would work together to stop the expansion of the ghost zone.

 **Alright, I've got another chapter ready for you! Sorry for the delay, I got an idea for another crossover that I somewhat got absorbed in writing. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

With the Specter Speeder and Danny's own knowledge of the ghost zone, getting to this ghost's home wasn't too much of an issue. Zeref should have realized that the connection Danny had was within the time rift before, considering the power this being must have. However, it did not make him feel any more comfortable traveling within the time rift itself. Green was the best word to describe this world, albeit with doorways and strange objects floating around as make-shift homes for ghosts. Danny had explained a few things about this place as they traveled, pointing out specific homes he recognized and explaining that in this world, humans actually seemed to function like ghosts.

Gazing around, Zeref could admit that this was a new experience for him. Having explored much during his time, he had never witnessed a realm quite like this one. All around him, energy bombarded his senses. It felt like he was practically suffocating in ethernano, not to mention the second odd energy that was the time rift's own creation. This was what he suspected to be the ecto-energy Natsu had mentioned. True to his word, even as they traveled it seemed to grow in density in the air. It made the air seem to be alive in its own right, as if a mild current was constantly running through it and leaving his arms tingling.

Looking towards Mavis, he could see this place was affecting her too. However, she was clearly ignoring it as well. She kept pointing at various things out the window, asking Danny questions about what one particular door was for when compared to another. Their driver was clearly getting annoyed with all of her questions, but Mavis was happily oblivious to his irritation. Watching them, Zeref found mild amusement in their journey. At least this made it somewhat worth his time, even if this ghost could not help them. Seeing Mavis happy was always worth it, though he had seen signs that she was beginning to lose some of her previous optimism when dealing with the curse.

Despite not seeing her in years, Zeref did admit to keeping tabs on her actions in the past. With the advancement in technology, it was easy to see news stories that were likely related to her own actions. People who went missing and were never recovered, plants that started decaying away due to an unidentified disease, unexplainable widespread deaths, and many others were all stories he could attribute to an uncontrolled curse. People were good at trying to write it off with their own explanations, but Zeref could see through most of them to find the truth. Lately, those stories had been sporadic, leaving him with little details on where Mavis may have been.

The way she seemed to shy away from friendship now made him see what it was doing to her. For someone who clung so tightly to her false family, she had fallen far. While she continued smiling, laughing with these new strangers, Zeref could see the hardness in her eyes, and the slight downturn at the corners of her mouth. This was all forced, to keep up an illusion of joy when she was learning to treat others as pawns, just as he did. However, he was pleased to notice that she never gave him those false looks of joy. They at least had that much truth between them left, after all this time.

Arriving at a strange floating castle, Zeref couldn't help but wonder who was inside. "Alright, this is it. Let's just hope he's willing to help…last time, he wasn't all that pleased with my request to change the past."

Danny's comment made Zeref frown. Few attempted to alter time, for any reason. He was unusual, taking odd paths due to his own impossible situations. Normally, it was far easier to alter the present than it was the past. However, he let it slide as non-vital information. Danny already disliked his own secrets enough, so it was only fair to allow the boy to keep his own past hidden.

"This place still gives me the creeps." Tucker shuddered slightly, walking through the doors and into a dimly lit hall. Around him, Zeref could see what looked like dark grey brick walls. The entire hall seemed to lead forward, though darkness hid the actual room from sight.

"Tell me about it. Trips to the ghost zone always lead to disaster in some form, based on our experience." Glancing towards Danny, Sam shook her head slightly with a sigh. "Either way, based on what Danny explained on the way here, we don't really have much of a choice."

With that, she seemed to frown at Zeref, who kept his focus on their path. He preferred keeping his own interference unknown for now. The less they knew of his past, the better things would be. That was his experience with normal people thus far, and despite the lack of his dark reputation these days, it still stayed true. People feared death, and they feared the unknown. Zeref was both of those things, an anomaly to the modern age that no one could comprehend, much like Danny and become. Perhaps that was why he had an odd fascination with the ghost-boy, he decided. Despite their differences in personalities, both of them did not fit in with the world around them.

Clocks seemed to line the halls as Zeref walked. At one point, he was fairly certain he passed by ghosts with white robes and a single eye on their faces. However, he paid them little mind as he passed through a door. It appeared to move towards a new room, however, he was startled by the sensation of being tugged in a new direction. The hall vanished from sight, and with that, he heard the startled cries of Sam and Tucker. "Sorry, forgot to warn you about that. I usually fly in from overhead, Clockwork's castle is a bit…unusual, to say the least." Danny's comment came after they all landed in a new room. This one seemed to stand apart from any hall of the castle, too.

Floating in the air around them on all sides were what looked like the gears of clocks. They matched the green glow of the ghost zone as they all stood on a single platform. At the center was an odd black ring, with a glowing green center. Standing directly in front of it, or more accurately floating, was a ghost. Zeref could not say if he was young or old, based on his constantly shifting form. It would age into an old man, before drifting back to the form of a child. The entire time, he remained in the same purple robes, carrying a staff in his hand that seemed to be topped with a clock.

Moving towards him, Zeref felt an immense pressure of energy from the man. Danny had not been lying about how powerful this ghost truly was. "Hello, Spriggan. I have been expecting you to come here." It was a title he had not heard in a long time, and it made Zeref glance away.

"Spriggan? What the heck is that?" Tucker frowned, glancing towards Zeref.

Keeping his voice quiet, Zeref stayed stiff with his eyes focused on the ground. "An ugly fairy."

"Quite accurate." Clockwork seemed to smile at him, while they all stood in silence for an awkward moment.

By his side, Danny seemed to move forward, approaching Clockwork. "Clockwork, I know…I know you said the past isn't something to mess with, but we need your help. According to…to these two here," Danny gestured to both Zeref and Mavis. "the ghost world is about to consume my world. I don't know if it is true or not…but they say the reason for this lies in a mistake made by some kid in the past."

"Meddling with time is never the best option, boy." Clockwork sighed, scowling as he narrowed his eyes. "However…I can confirm your suspicions. This is a fate I've been watching over for some time now…and the time is almost upon us for it to become reality. Therefore…I must ask, have you determined the truth yet, Spriggan? Do you know who I truly am?"

Scowling at the repeated name, Zeref corrected him before actually considering his question. "That is not my name, not anymore." At this, Clockwork seemed to raise an eyebrow, aging into an old man again before speaking as he returned to an adult.

"There is much to be learned from the names we give ourselves, is there not?" Avoiding his gaze, Zeref kept his lips pressed tightly together, refusing to respond. Perhaps he had named himself that to embrace the world's view of him, but it still was not a title he longed to have returned to him. "Even my own gives new meaning, making things that much…clearer to those who know of me."

That got his attention. The name Clockwork implied heavy involvement with time, or at the very least, cyclical actions. Based on the fact that he was a ghost, Zeref was inclined to lean towards the former reasoning, as he likely had some form of power Zeref was unaware of. If Clockwork was not his born name, then who was he as he lived? Sensing the immense power around him, even greater than Natsu's, Zeref realized exactly who this had to be. Despite the impossibility of the name that came to mind, Zeref could not help but speak it. "Chronos."

Smiling, Clockwork's form turned to that of a child, before starting to age once more. "Very good. I thought you'd figure it out. Now, as for your dilemma…exactly what did you come to me for? You know quite well that I am only here to observe, not intervene." His gaze settled on Danny, who was frowning between the two of them. While Zeref had heard of Chronos, he still could not fathom what had managed to kill a god.

"About that…I kinda figured since you intervened before, that you might make an exception once more. I mean, we are kinda talking about the end of the world…all because one person messed with time. Can't you just reset it like you did when I tried messing with the past?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck, nervously fidgeting as Clockwork observed them with a frown.

Turning back towards Zeref, Clockwork's eyes narrowed. "Even if I did wish to intervene, there is nothing I could do. This disruption in time…I was not the cause of it, and therefore, I cannot undo it. Attempting to do so is what cost me my life, though I can't say much changed with my death. Just as I did before, I still stand as an observer of the time stream, always knowing what has happened and what might become reality."

For a moment, Zeref stopped breathing. Not only had he destroyed his reputation with one god by toying with the balance of life and death, now his actions had killed another. He couldn't meet the eyes of the ghost, avoiding the harsh glare that seemed to bare all the hatred he felt for himself. "Then there is nothing to be done. The world will end…and all will perish."

With a slight smile, Clockwork's form aged back into an old man. "I never said that. Normally, I'd say things must be addressed in the present to solve our issues…however, currently, I cannot see a single path that does not lead to the total annihilation of the mortal world. Therefore, the only method of solving this problem lies in preventing it in the first place…a dangerous prospect, considering all that might change. Are you willing to take that risk? Will you children bear the blame for destroying your present, should something go wrong?"

Closing his eyes, Zeref felt his fingers curl into a fist. There was a high likelihood of that destruction occurring for their intervention. He knew for a fact exactly why Eclipse had been necessary, and that meant they would have more than one issue to deal with in the past. "Wait a second…are you telling me we're going back in time? So…we'll be like Future Lucy, talking to our former selves to save the world!" Natsu grinned at this, looking excited. Zeref did not understand the reference, nor did anyone else, but Clockwork shook his head, returning to an adult as he stared at the boy.

"Not exactly. The method utilized by them was unnatural, working against the flow of time. As the Master of All Time, I have the capability of letting all of you stand apart from the time stream entirely. In essence, regardless of your actions in the past, you six will retain your current memories and lives. Danny can attest to this functionality of my power, as his intervention in the past made it to where he was never born, yet he continued to exist when he returned to his own time."

Scratching his head, Natsu frowned. "Huh? I don't get it…set apart from time…so, we won't technically exist anymore?"

Sighing, Zeref shook his head. "It will be similar, I imagine, to what you experienced. Essentially, our current timeline will cease to exist, however, we will not entirely merge with the new one we are creating. Regardless of our actions, we will not be affected by our decisions in the past that alter our past selves." This would hopefully stop him from the temptation of saving himself from so much suffering. Such a drastic change could likely spell disaster for the present, despite how much he longed for that peace.

"Oh, well that makes sense! Why didn't he say that in the first place?"

Tucker raised an eyebrow at him, looking doubtful. "Dude, he kinda did. So, how is this going to work? Do we just walk through your portal thing like we did before, or is there more to it?"

Studying them closely, Clockwork frowned. After a moment, he moved towards the edge of the platform, reaching out towards a case that seemed to hang, displaying odd cog-shaped necklaces. "I will provide you with extra time, to ensure you have ample time to work with in the past. Spriggan should be more than capable of guiding you to the proper location of who must be stopped…and as for the rest, even I cannot say how the present will be altered. Likely, we will not be meeting again, for if this goes well…ghosts will cease to exist."

"Wait..will Danny lose his powers, then?" Sam sounded alarmed, touching her friend's arm as Clockwork dropped a necklace over her head. He continued moving on to each of them, repeating the action.

Smiling, Mavis shook her head. "Nope! Didn't we just go over this? Basically, Danny will still be himself, regardless of what we do in the past. It's going to be so much fun! Oh, wait a second…" Mavis trailed off, her smile fading as she bit her lip. "The time we're going to…there'll be a war going on, won't there?"

Nodding, Zeref focused on the ground. "Do not engage in any battles, unless I tell you otherwise. Regardless of what you see…we cannot alter the course of the war." At the same time, he knew they'd have to intervene. It was a fine line, timing out the proper time to stop Acnologia…but it had to be done, if they were avoiding the use of Eclipse.

Nodding, Danny seemed to stand confidently before Clockwork. "Sounds good to me. I've screwed up the present one time by doing this. I'm not going to do it again. So, how will we know what to look for when we get to the past in the first place?"

Smiling at them, Clockwork stood aside. The circular object behind him seemed to swirl, the green vortex transforming into an image of a small village, filled with farms and people moving about. "As I stated before, you have quite the talented guide, for nearly any time you arrive in. Good luck, and be careful not to mess up the past." With that, Clockwork seemed to move away, leaving them free to travel through. Taking a deep breath, Zeref stepped forward first, ignoring the way the others seemed to shoot him questioning glances. Despite not even knowing how he would accomplish this, he had to try. He had caused enough suffering with his curse, and now, he was going to correct at least some of the problems he had created by doing what he wished to do so long ago. Finally, he was going to have the chance to alter his life, and undo some of his many mistakes. He just hoped he undid the right ones, because otherwise, Acnologia's presence would lead to the destruction of the entire world, just as easily as the time rift would.

 **Just took three tests in a row yesterday...and more to come this upcoming week. Well, at least they're almost over with. Please review and tell me what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

Arriving in the past, Zeref couldn't help but feel an odd nostalgia. He did not know this village, but he had grown up in this era. With Danny, Sam, Tucker, Natsu, and Mavis with him, it felt a bit odd. He could not let his gaze wander, not when it would push him to reveal more than he wished to at this point. "What made Clockwork so certain that you could tell us what to do?" Danny eyed Zeref closely, following as he began walking through the town.

As he passed by, Zeref noted the way people seemed to move. Most had their heads hung low, with dirt on their skin and scrapes lining their arms. There were very few smiles visible as they walked across the dirt paths. A few did give them a curtesy nod or wave, but beyond that, no one spoke. Trust was not given easily in this era, and it was in this time that he learned his own mannerisms. People, despite the common belief, fought on both sides of this war much like dragons had. Those that fought for dragon domination believed that by aiding the enemy, their lives would be spared. It led to much deception amongst wizards and non-wizards alike, though few recalled that detail after the war ended.

In fact, now that he thought back, almost every battle was overshadowed by the arrival of Acnologia. Observing people now, he could not say if the Black Dragon was in existence or not. In fact, he wasn't certain exactly when they had arrived. "I know much about this era." Refusing to explain further, Zeref continued walking.

"Well, then where the heck are we? This place can't be that far back in time…looks like it is medieval times, at the earliest." Tucker studied the surroundings, frowning in confusion.

Tilting his head, Zeref glanced up at the sky. It was quite warm, almost summer based on the growing crops and sunny sky. No dragons were visible, a good sign for now. "I cannot say. This is not a place I am familiar with…"

"Wait, so you're saying we're lost?" Sam crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at him. "Way to go, just walk in random directions and hope we get somewhere. What a genius plan?" Her sarcasm was not missed, though Zeref did not reply. "Look, if you're not going to do it, I will. Someone here has got to be able to give us directions to _something,_ which is better than just walking around randomly."

Before Zeref could stop her, Sam tapped on the shoulder of a woman passing by, guiding her child along the street. "Excuse us, but we seem to be—mrtlmr." Zeref's hand covered her mouth, muffling the rest of her question.

"I apologize for my companion's rudeness." Bowing slightly, Zeref watched the woman take a few steps back, keeping her distance. "She is young and has yet to fully comprehend the era we live in. Quite a sheltered childhood. When I met her, she had not even heard about the war."

The stranger seemed to eye them warily, keeping her child hidden behind her. From what Zeref could see, it was a young girl, barely old enough to walk. With dark blue hair framing her face, he didn't think to study her more closely. The woman in front of her seemed to have matching hair, with bright green eyes. "And who might you be?"

This was why he wished to wait. Creating a fitting backstory for their purposes should have taken more time, but at the very least, he had one idea that would work regardless of when they had arrived. He just hoped it wasn't too far into the war for his story. "Recruiters for the war. We work under Irene Belserion, and she sent us to search for people willing to study from her ways and learn more of the weaknesses of our enemies."

Hearing the name, the woman's shoulders seemed to relax ever so slightly. "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere." She frowned at them, while Danny seemed to glance between them with suspicion in her eyes. Behind her, the child seemed to try and peek out to see them. "People here are more worried about surviving than fighting."

Nodding, Zeref smiled and began tugging on Sam's arm to get her to move on. She was standing with her mouth agape at the woman, or more likely, Zeref's comments. "I'm sorry to have bothered you. Would you be able to point me in the direction of Lilotha? I've heard a few interesting rumors about the area, and wished to investigate further for General Irene."

The slight gasp from the girl was not missed, nor was the way she backed away from him slightly. "Lilotha? Why would you want to go to those wastelands? Or…have you not heard…?" She trailed off, biting her lip. Glancing back at her daughter, she seemed to hesitate to say anything further. However, Zeref waited patiently. His wording had been intentional, to ensure that there was no confusion regardless of era. Her response would dictate their final destination, however. "The dragons…they attacked, trying to reclaim lost territory. Nothing remains anymore…and from what I heard, there was only one survivor of that one-sided massacre."

Nodding, Zeref frowned. He had expected it to be difficult for him to try and show sympathy or care for these events so far in his past, but he could not deny the slight squeezing in his chest as he heard that he was still too late to save his family. "I see. Such a pity to lose so many promising individuals…" Keeping with his story, he had a new angle to use, at least. "What of the school in the area? I seem to recall a wizarding school nearby, and the students were normally quite skilled from their teachings."

Crossing her arms over her chest, the woman seemed to be growing more comfortable with his questions. "Mildian Magic Academy. I've heard of the place. Just a few days walk from here, actually. If you're looking for recruits for the war, it's actually not a bad place to start. Just…be careful. You know how people are these days. Start traveling North, you'll pass through the ruins of Lilotha before arriving."

Nodding, Zeref began moving forward again. "Thank you for the information, m'am. We'll take your warning to heart. These days, you can never be too careful about who you trust." With those words, he gave Sam a look, narrowing his eyes for a moment. She swallowed, seeming to back away and stick close to her friends' sides in response.

Moving in the direction suggested, Zeref shook his head and sighed. Speaking low, Zeref kept his gaze facing forward rather than towards them. "People are deceptive in this era, fighting on one of two sides of a war. They cannot be trusted, regardless of your desires."

"That's what you're focused on?" Tucker glanced at him, looking at Zeref as if he was insane. "What the heck was that? Since when did you become a recruiter for a war?"

"Since I traveled back in time and had to explain why we were randomly approaching strangers in the street." Zeref glared at Tucker, running a hand through his hair. "Also…it is a cover story that can be verified. Irene Belserion truly exists in this era…and she does lead a force against the dragons. Perhaps…perhaps we should locate her first. Likely, her power would be of use to us, considering what we may be facing…and through her, I may be able to prevent…" Zeref trailed off, realizing he was rambling already. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head and sighed. "Sorry, I forget how little you know. To put things simply, we need an excuse to be present at that school, from what I've gathered. Since Lilotha is destroyed, he's already moving forward with his plans…I do not know how far he is, so I cannot say how urgent our mission is. For that reason…we should travel to the academy first, before locating other allies."

"I don't mean to interrupt…but what the heck is so important about that town you keep mentioning? Did you want to visit it or something?" Natsu sounded lost as to what was going on, frowning at Zeref.

Shaking his head, Zeref bit his lip. "Not exactly…if it were still here, I suppose there was simply someone I wished to save from a terrible fate." Natsu's eyes narrowed, as did Danny's. However, Mavis' gaze softened and she reached out, grabbing Zeref's hand for a moment.

"We'll be here with you, Zeref. Just tell us what we need to do."

Nodding, Zeref glanced towards Natsu. "Of course. Now…as we travel, there are a few things I wish to discuss, specifically with Natsu. Do you recall your last battle with Acnologia?" Nodding, the ghost scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Did you succeed in destroying him, or was it simply trapping him that you accomplished?"

"That guy's long dead." Smirking, flames began to dance along his fists. "I showed him exactly who was the strongest dragon slayer around."

Shaking his head, Zeref pressed a hand to his forehead. "I see. So, you were vital to his destruction? Or would Fairy Tail have succeeded, without your presence?"

Blinking, Natsu seemed to think about it for a moment. "Uh, maybe? I can't really say…why does this even matter anyway?"

"I'm kinda with Natsu. Who the heck is Acnologia and why do we care about him? Aren't we more concerned about stopping this kid you were talking about from traveling through time in the first place?" Danny's objection came before Zeref could reply.

By his side, Sam seemed to nod in agreement. "Danny is right. We really need to focus on the bigger problem here. One person is about to create a spell that will end our world completely. We need to stop that, before it is too late."

Tilting his head, Zeref gave them a sad smile. "Perhaps, but that does not mean we will not face other complications. That boy's spell…it may have been the key to saving the world in the first place. Acnologia…that is the name of a man that will one day become a dragon…a dragon that will live on to desire the complete destruction of mankind and dragons alike. Stopping him required much effort and planning, and we are about to unravel every plan created to stop him with our actions. Creating a new plan will be necessary to ensure we do not destroy the world with our intervention here."

"We have the tools to stop him here." Mavis' calm voice came from his other side, making Zeref turn and lift an eyebrow at her. "Acnologia is invulnerable to nearly all magic…however, there is one spell he is weak to. Fairy Sphere…and with that spell, Fairy Tail was able to defeat him." Locking her gaze onto his eyes, Mavis seemed to stand strong, despite her shortened height. "It may have been a while, but I still hold the knowledge on how to cast it. With that…there is a chance, however slight, to stop him before he ever becomes an issue."

Nodding, Zeref continued focusing on where they were heading. As uneventful as their arrival into the past was, he was certain that something was bound to go wrong soon enough. During an era of war, death was common, and it would not surprise him if they found themselves involved in an attack of some form. For now, he just had to do his best to determine exactly when they had arrived, and from there, develop a plan to not only stop himself, but Acnologia as well.

 **Tests are all done with! Sorry for the shorter chapter, there just wasn't a whole lot more to add to this one.**

 **Response to guest review:Matt: I understand, not every story turns out the way you want it to. With the premise this crossover was based off of, I can see why you would create that prediction as well. Thank you for reading up until now, and I do hope you can find a crossover in this section that you enjoy!**

 **For all others, feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

Traveling north was beginning to give Zeref issues. The landscape changed the further they got, losing much of its plant life and becoming rocky and quite barren. It was not the area he had expected, planning to travel through his former home to arrive at the school he went to in childhood. That woman must have not trusted them as much as she appeared to, Zeref realized. Her false directions were likely a trap, meant to keep them away from her town and those nearby. However, that did not necessarily mean that Lilotha was still in existence. The best of lies, after all, were formed from truths.

Perhaps Irene was not a general in the war yet, or perhaps she was simply suspicious due to the deceptive nature of mankind in this era. Regardless of the woman's reasons, Zeref stopped walking when they began nearing a more treacherous area to travel. Steep sloping rocks greeted them, along with cliff-sides and mountains blocking their paths. Night had fallen and they had been traveling for a few days now, nearing the time it was supposed to take to reach Mildea Magic Academy.

Glancing at his companions, he could also tell that none of them other than Mavis possessed his unnatural endurance either. They had stopped on previous nights after Danny and his friends began protesting. That was when he realized that others still needed rest, unlike himself. Pretending to sleep was an odd sensation, one he disliked for it forced him to attempt to keep his mind idle to avoid changes in expression. It left him unable to debate the best method of dealing with any of this, despite the fact that half of their problems stemmed from his own mistakes. Even now, he did not know what could have convinced him to stop, however. While creating Eclipse, he had not done so with Acnologia in mind. He had done so thinking about Natsu, about reversing the disaster that killed him in the first place.

"Something doesn't feel right about this." Danny was frowning at the area they stood in, stopping behind Zeref. Joining him, Zeref stood still and gazed out towards the rocky area, spotting a single shrub in the distance, yellowed from a lack of water. "Haven't we been walking long enough? I thought we would have passed through some sign of that village the girl mentioned by now."

"Doesn't smell right either." Natsu's nostrils flared, scanning the area with a frown. "I dunno why…but something about this scent seems familiar…" He trailed off, his eyes watchful and his stance tense.

Studying them, Zeref focused his thoughts on Natsu's comment. Familiar to him meant something different than wrong to Zeref. That limited the options of what could be in this area, and it dictated what might be nearby. The few places Natsu had been in this era…most of which had occurred while the boy was dead. Travel was not common, at least, not on the ground. Igneel had kept him close to his side, and was watchful as per Zeref's instructions. Based on the rocky area, and the proximity to the plain-like area they had just passed through, however, that lead Zeref to begin feeling his stomach drop. This couldn't be the place he thought it was. If it was, they were in far more danger than they realized.

Turning towards them, Zeref's eyes narrowed sharply as he sucked in a breath. "Run." He didn't hear anything, but his senses were not open to the area around him. How had he forgotten such a simple concept of magic? During war, it was best to be vigilant, but he had shut himself off from his magic for so long. Zeref now let that energy flow naturally through him once more, ending his isolation from his own power. Magic would be necessary in this era, and if he mistakenly forgot to keep his mind open for the presence of dragons, they would be destroyed completely.

Hearing his warning, the others turned and began following his lead, rushing away from this place. However, with his senses now stretching outward, the black wizard could feel the growing pressure of magic in the area. This was a dragon's den. Based on Natsu's familiarity with the area, it was a fire dragon. He just hoped it wasn't the region he thought it was. Gazing around more closely at the placement of different markings in the landscape, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his stomach. Now, he was beginning to recognize the area. Normally, this would have been good news, however, it also meant that he was correct. The girl in that village had sought to trap them, sending them to their deaths believing them to be enemies.

"Something's coming!" Natsu's shout made Zeref stop, closing his eyes and thinking for a moment. He had to act quickly here, or else their journey would end before even arriving where they needed to be.

Moving forward, Zeref went to stand in front of their group. "Mavis, take the backside. Everyone else…I'd suggest seeking shelter. We cannot engage this dragon in battle…" Thinking further on it, Zeref grimaced. "And we can not speak with him either. This dragon…he is meant to become something important in the future, however now is not the time to change his ways."

As he spoke, the sound of rushing wind became audible to his own ears as well. While Danny, Sam and Tucker wouldn't have an issue with his orders, he could only hope that Natsu would listen. Keeping his gaze on the sky, Zeref frowned as he saw the dragon begin swooping in, circling around them at first. "Who dares impede upon my domain?" A loud, booming voice came shouting down to them, rumbling and gravely. Behind him, Natsu seemed to grow still, his eyes wide as he sucked in a sharp breath. "I will destroy all who invade my home. Humans took everything from me, and it is my turn to show them my pain!"

"Igneel?" Natsu's comment made Zeref decide to change plans. Reaching back, he grabbed the boy's hand, tugging him forward and throwing him to the ground. At the same time, Igneel dove downward, swooping towards them as Zeref braced himself for the attack.

Claws dug into his arms as he lifted them to shield his face. Despite being immortal, he could not stop the instinctual defenses of his body. Protecting vital areas limited his pain, at the very least. Mortal wounds always seemed to cause him more suffering than others, after all. In an instant, his robes were shredded, and those sharp nails dug into his skin, creating deep gashes on both of his arms. He let out a slight groan, unused to this kind of injury anymore.

"Zeref!" Mavis' shout made Zeref's head snap up. He glared at her, seeing her running towards him. Watching with wide eyes, Danny and his friends seemed to be cowering on the ground, crouching low to avoid the attack.

Seeing them, Zeref nodded slightly and refocused. "My apologies for the intrusion, Great Dragon. My companions and I appear to be lost…if you would be so generous as to allow us to leave, we would pass along word to others that this area belongs to you, and none should pass through expecting to keep their lives." Granted, he knew that one day he'd come to this place regardless, but that was not his plan.

A loud snort was heard from the dragon as he landed, folding his wings behind his back as he towered over them all. "Humans will help me? The same race that killed my mate and my family?" That made Natsu blink at Igneel with wide eyes.

"Wait…we did what?" He glanced at Zeref, who gave Natsu a sharp glare.

"Natsu, enough. Let me handle this." Zeref's voice was sharp and commanding, not allowing for argument. Focusing on Igneel, he moved forward and focused on the dragon's eyes. "Consider it a compromise, from one who has lost his family to dragons. We both lay down our weapons, and we both step aside." Lifting his arm, Zeref showed Igneel the vanishing wounds on his skin, sealing already due to his curse. "After all, you will find it quite difficult to succeed in killing me, Great Dragon."

"Healing magic…foolish mortals, toying with a balance which they cannot understand. Fine, be on your way if you must…but I will kill you if I see you again, young wizards." With a huff, Igneel turned and began flying off, clearly upset with Zeref. Dropping his head, Zeref couldn't help but recall other warnings of a similar nature, however. Everyone told him the magic he was looking into was unnatural. He doubted Igneel would be the last person who mentioned it in this era.

"So…dragons, huh?" Tucker gave a nervous laugh, rising to his feet along with his friends.

Sam only nodded, rubbing the back of her head and studying Zeref. Natsu still seemed frozen, staring off after Igneel while Danny moved to join them. "Yeah, and I'd rather not see him come back. Come on, we can ask Zeref questions in a moment. I'd say we should focus on getting the heck out of here while we have a chance."

Smiling, Zeref began moving, this time heading East. If this was Igneel's domain, he knew exactly how to arrive at the academy from here. After all, he had traveled this path numerous times, checking in with the flame dragon on Natsu's progress. Not to mention his first arrival, which was supposed to serve as an unusual turning point in the war. After a few moments, Natsu began following as well. "What…what was Igneel talking about? He never mentioned that stuff to me before…" Natsu trailed off, frowning as he studied Zeref.

They were still in the dragon's territory, and the dragon could likely overhear them at the moment. Shaking his head slightly, Zeref focused on putting some distance between them first. "Later, Natsu. For now, Danny is correct. His rage will not remain quelled for long, despite the difficulty he may have had in harming me."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mavis' concern came from the other side of him, frowning at him. Most people would assume she was asking about injuries, but she knew him better than that. Encountering a dragon for the first time in centuries was a shock, in some ways, and missing the fact that they had been walking towards one was unlike him.

Debating her question, Zeref closed his eyes for a moment, continuing to move blindly through the area. When he reopened his eyes, he let out a deep breath. "I dislike war immensely, Mavis. This was never a time I wished to remember…not when it was filled with so many pointless deaths." Granted, he had begun a war of his own, but that had come with the intent to stop numerous others that had happened in the past.

They walked in silence for a moment, no one really knowing what to add. Mavis observed him as they moved, while Natsu scowled at the ground. Danny and his friends still appeared to be trying to recover from their first dragon sighting. Those children did seem capable of handling it well, Zeref decided. Likely, fighting ghosts had given them a bit of a rougher skin, so to speak, making coping with dangerous situations easier. It shouldn't have been easy for people so young, but they managed to move forward with ease.

When they began arriving in an area where grass was slowly becoming more prominent, Zeref began to speak. "Igneel was not always fond of humans, Natsu. In fact, that transition did not occur until we were nearing the end of the war. The flame dragons, as a result, were often seen on both sides of the fighting when their king changed his mind. Some agreed with his choice, while others still held grudges against us for various reasons."

"Wait, are you saying that dragon was supposed to want to, what? Be friends with us and sing Kumbaya?" Danny snorted, shaking his head. "Yeah, right. Monsters like that will only be trying to kill us, I imagine."

"Actually, there is unrest among their own kind." Zeref smiled at Danny, watching the boy blink at him with wide eyes. "Some wish for peace, to befriend our race, while others see us as nothing more than food. Igneel…does not fit into either category at the moment. He feels betrayed by our kind, for he trusted one of us and that individual…decided to use that trust to get close to the most powerful clan of dragons known to history. Destroying every member of Igneel's family, that wizard pushed Igneel to the point where he made a vow to never trust a mortal man again." Smiling, Zeref couldn't help but recall that battle of his past. At least something he did had pushed them forward, albeit in a strange way.

 _The same rocky area surrounded him as Zeref realized he was not getting tired. Walking for hours, his legs felt no strain despite the effort. Was this his newly found curse? Based on the trail of death following after him, he could not deny it. Someone would find him, and he hoped this wizard would be capable of killing him, or at the very least, surviving._

 _A dragon came first, however. The beast was massive, roaring in anger and swooping down with a blast of flames. Feeling the heat eat away at his clothes and burn his skin, Zeref had realized how dangerous this was. Pain became his existence, and he grew excited. "Finally…" However, the face of a small boy flashed in his mind. Natsu was waiting, still looking for someone to help him grow strong. Zeref was not able to do that for him, not when the boy would have to be raised to hate him for his plans to succeed._

 _With his eyes flashing open, Zeref approached the dragon and unleashed his own attack in return. "You…you cannot kill me." Glancing down at his arms, he saw the burns fading away in an instant, even as his own dark shadowy attack faded into the air. It had made the beast pause, though Igneel's gaze only seemed to study him closely._

 _"Don't make me laugh, human. All living things can come to an end Sometimes, we just have to find the way." With a scowl, Igneel had begun moving forward, as if stalking his prey. "Healing magic is difficult to get around, but it goes against the natural order of things. If it had existed in the past, I may have found myself feeling quite differently at the beginning of this encounter; my family may have been alive."_

 _Hearing that, Zeref tilted his head slightly, dropping his hands. "Healing magic existed when my family lived. It did not save them." His voice was quiet, and he dropped all signs of attack. He was tired; not exhausted physically, but mentally tired. He did not want to think anymore, and he didn't want to try fighting against this fate that seemed to be trying to swallow him whole._

 _"I am sorry for your loss. Be comforted in knowing it won't last for long, for I have vowed to destroy every last human that enters my home. Your kind destroyed everything of mine…and it is my turn to be the destroyer." With a dark scowl, the dragon opened its mouth for another attack._

 _Not even lifting his head, Zeref stood still as tears began falling down his cheeks. "I have not finished losing things, either. My entire school is dead…because of me. I have destroyed the path to your home, and likely brought others here…this was a mistake. I should not have come." His comment about others made the dragon stop, staring at him for a moment._

 _"You…regret causing me this dilemma with other humans?" He seemed confused, while Zeref closed his eyes._

 _"I have caused enough suffering as it is…and I have only begun to see what it is I suffer from. This world…it will always reject me now. There is not a single place I can be accepted, not even with the one I once considered family."_

 _Gazing at him in silence, the dragon seemed to scrutinize his form closely. "You are not the type of person I expected, young man. Tell me, what is your name?"_

 _The dragon seemed to sit, though Zeref could still sense the pressure exerted by his natural magic power. "Zeref…Zeref Dragneel." He kept his head hung low, with his hair covering his eyes. Often, he was told he struggled with making eye contact. His curse had only worsened his desire to hide, making him fearful of letting anyone see him for the monster he truly was._

 _With his name still unknown, the dragon only huffed out a puff of smoke. "Be glad, Zeref Dragneel. Despite the fact that your life will be ending, your name will be remembered by the Flame Dragon King, Igneel. I think…I think I may have liked you, if we met in a different era."_

 _It was the first time he heard anyone reference time periods as eras, and in a strange way, he found it interesting. Era suggested separate time periods, with a set end and a set beginning. It was something that could be done with at a moment's notice, unlike thinking of time as a span of infinite years. Rather than marking time with hours, or some other form of measurement, an era would mark it with notable events, making the timeframe more real in his mind. "A different era…I think that is something I'd like to see." With an odd smile, he glanced back towards the dragon, seeing the beast rising to his feet._

 _"I cannot trust a single one of your kind, no matter how unusual you may seem. Trust is given only to those who prove themselves worthy, and you, Zeref Dragneel, have done nothing but speak meaningless words. We dragons are ancient creatures, and while your words have amused me for the time being, it is not something I can accept as a fitting reason to allow you to survive." There seemed to be a sad look in his eyes as he approached, while Zeref still made no move to defend. "Most humans defend their lives when threatened. I will show my gratitude for your acceptance of fate by making this as painless as possible, young man."_

 _Bowing his head, Zeref waited for the attack to come. He could feel the heat of the beast's breath on his head, fanning his hair as Igneel began to inhale. His jaw opened, sharp teeth spreading wide above his head. The dragon's neck leaned back, preparing to gain momentum while Zeref remained still, listening to the breeze around him. No plants were around to give it life, but wind itself seemed to make an odd noise even with a lack of objects to push and pull with it._

 _Just as Igneel began to lean towards him, a sharp sound of laughter made Zeref freeze, his back stiffening and his head snapping to the side. "I found you! Ha, Zeref, I told ya I'd win!" Laughing, a young child, barely five, ran out into the rocky clearing, grinning as he charged towards the black wizard._

 _Alarmed, Zeref held his hands out, trying to warn the child. "No! Natsu, stay back!" He did not even bother to look and see what Igneel was doing. All he could focus on was his newly resurrected little brother, charging forward with the hopes of staying near the only family he had left. Unfortunately, Zeref had not learned to see him as a pawn, not yet. He valued Natsu's life, and what it represented for his future._

 _Turning his head, Natsu paused for a moment, glancing at Zeref before his eyes widened at the sight of the dragon behind him. Igneel's expression had transformed into a glare, narrowing his eyes at Natsu and clenching his teeth together as he stalked forward towards the child. "Another intruder…another life to be taken. Foolish humans, all you ever do is take what was never yours to begin with!"_

 _"No way, not Zeref!" Natsu glared at the dragon, rushing forward and startling the beast. Before Zeref could say anything to stop the child, he pounded his fist against Igneel's leg, likely with hardly more force to the dragon than a person would feel from a fly landing on their arm. He continued beating against Igneel's leg, punching the dragon as he spoke. "He's the reason I'm alive! He's the best big brother in the world, and you're just a big…fat…jerk if you can't see that. I'll show you by beating some sense into you! I'll show Zeref that he was right to give me so much, and prove that I'm strong enough…strong enough to stay with him…" Natsu trailed off, biting his lip as his arms began to tremble. His arms halted, one of them remaining fisted against the dragon's scaled leg. Breathing heavily, the child seemed to sway slightly, visibly distressed._

 _Watching him, Igneel seemed to frown. There seemed to be conflict in the dragon's gaze, warring with himself between the desire for peace, and the desire for vengeance. "If you are concerned with staying true to your vow, that boy is no longer human." Zeref spoke quietly, watching the way Natsu seemed to glance towards him. His tears seemed to stop falling, but a glare replaced his frown on his face._

 _"Stop saying that! I'm still human! I can be what I want to be…and that means I am still your brother." His shoulders shook, and he took a step away from Igneel, moving towards Zeref with his hand outstretched. Watching Natsu, Zeref struggled to try and keep his expression blank. He could feel his mouth twitching downward, and the burning in his eyes begging him to release tears at the sight. He wished Natsu's words could be true. He wished he wasn't this monster. "Please…don't make me leave! Don't send me away, Brother!"_

 _With that, Natsu charged towards him, startling Zeref. The small shred of control he had managed by avoiding living things in this lifeless mountainous region vanished. Instantly, black magic began to swirl around him, spiraling and growing into the sky. Zeref screamed as pain throbbed throughout his body, the energy overloading his physical self and making it feel like an electric current was burning him from the inside out. The pain seemed central to his head, pounding against his skull as if someone was trying to hammer knives into his mind. His legs gave out, and he fell to the ground with tears flowing from his eyes. Natsu could not be seen within the haze, but Zeref knew he had killed his brother again. At least he now knew the way to bring him back, so this wouldn't ever be the final stage of his brother's life._

 _When the magic finally calmed, Zeref remained hunched over on the ground. "Black magic…you are not a mortal man, are you?" Igneel's rumbling voice made Zeref shake his head, though he kept his gaze focused on the ground. He didn't want to see Natsu's lifeless form for another time. He had already killed his brother with his curse before, and he knew that it would be so easy to mistake his appearance as that of a sleeping child._

 _An odd rumbling noise came from the dragon, making Zeref frown and peer upwards for once. The beast's shoulders seemed to be shaking, with a slight smile on his face. As odd as it was, Igneel seemed to be laughing at him. "My vow…my vow was to never trust a mortal man once more. You…you are no mortal man, Zeref Dragneel and this boy…he is something different as well, is he not? I find the two of you to be an entertaining pair…so allow me to hear your request, Black Wizard."_

 _It was the first time he was ever given his title, one he would carry for centuries into the future. However, what had caught his attention at the time had been the sight of Natsu, folded into the wings of the dragon. Igneel had used his own scales to protect Natsu from the magic. "Dragons…they are invulnerable to nearly all magical forms of attack. You…you just…" He trailed off, unable to comprehend what this dragon had just done. Igneel hated him, hated humans, yet he had just saved the life of his younger brother._

 _Chuckling once more, Igneel crouched down. "Ah, I've missed company. Perhaps I was foolish in my rage, but we dragons live long lives. It is rare to find a single one of my kind without any regrets…and living impulsively is often the best way to have adventures. Ending any life as young as this boy's would be a waste, wouldn't it?"_

 _The logic matched his own, from when Natsu first died. In the dragon's wings, he seemed to have passed out from the shock, but he could still see the slight rise and fall of Natsu's chest. There was a strange glint in Igneel's eyes as he gazed at Natsu, as if he truly did hold value for the life of someone so young. "You…I apologize if this is too personal, Igneel, but I…you seem to have lost more than I first thought. Did you have a child as well?"_

 _Nodding, the dragon's eyes drifted shut, his snout brushing against Natsu's hair and pushing it aside. "This young one reminds me much of him…my boy was reckless and impulsive, thinking he could take the world on by himself. I failed to properly teach him his own limits…" He trailed off, ending with a slight growl in his voice._

 _Observing the way Igneel was with Natsu, Zeref couldn't help but smile. "Then perhaps…perhaps our interests are aligned. Tell me, do you have any interest…in raising this boy as your own? This war has let stranger things happen, and he just may be the one capable of ending your sorrow and hatred towards mankind."_

 _That made Igneel's gaze focus on him, narrowing his eyes. "This is why he was so concerned. You seek to cut off your ties from your own flesh and blood? From the only one you can claim to be family?"_

 _Tilting his head, Zeref studied Igneel closely. "If you were like me…if your very nature was to destroy those you loved, would you not do the same?" The dragon did not reply, only gazing at him in silence. Sighing, Zeref shook his head and focused on Natsu once more. "He will be strong…he has to be. That is why I wish for you to raise him…and to train him. Make him the most powerful wizard to ever exist…powerful enough to destroy an immortal being with his bare hands."_

 _Pressing his snout once more into Natsu's hair, Igneel seemed to close his eyes for a moment. His tail curled around, almost possessively wrapping around the child. "Very well. I shall do as you ask, and I will not question your reasons, Black Wizard. Your brother will know that you loved him, and he will know the kindness in your—"_

 _"No." Zeref interrupted, spinning around and beginning to walk away. If he kept facing them, he just might find himself trying to fight to keep his grip on his brother. "Make him forget. I do not want him knowing my name, nor do I want him recalling that he had any family beyond you. That child…is destined to be my demise. Train him to kill an immortal wizard, Igneel, King of the Flame Dragons. Train him…to kill me."_

Lost in thought, Zeref didn't realize how many questions he had been ignoring from his companions. Eventually, they gave up on getting any response from the distant black wizard. At the moment, he was too busy recalling the one moment in his past when he had given up his last shred of happiness, in the hopes that one day, he could find a way to end his very own existence.

 **Alright, I've got another chapter ready! Part of me really wanted to make the backstory with Igneel just a one-shot separate from this story...I loved writing it so much. I feel like Igneel wasn't given a whole lot of time in Fairy Tail to really develop properly, and I rather think he should've been seen more. Either way, feel free to review and just tell me what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

The silence lasted far longer than Zeref anticipated. Uncomfortable with questioning Zeref's actions, Danny and his friends seemed to be keeping to themselves. Occasionally, Zeref thought he'd see them whisper amongst themselves, but when they noticed him watching, they'd quickly stop. Likely, the tension in their group was due to his own inability to properly explain their situation, but he felt no need to correct the situation. Silence allowed him to think in peace, to reason through the proper course of action. Currently, they were standing in a grand courtyard, just in front of history's once legendary wizarding school. Being accepted into Mildian Magic Academy was a dream for most children, and Zeref had been granted that opportunity on sight when he was found as the sole survivor of a dragon attack.

Those adults had foolishly believed his natural talent with magic allowed him to survive. Zeref accounted it to bad luck. That debate, however, was one he never seemed to win. As Zeref glanced around at the castle-like structure of the school, seeing the white brick walls of the exterior for the first time in centuries, he felt an odd sense of longing. This was a far simpler time in his life, when his biggest worry was of failure. Now, Zeref worried over potentially succeeding, just as much as he worried over failing. Did he want to win, when all his success only caused was more suffering? It was an odd predicament, but one he faced on a daily basis for the majority of his life.

"You know, we go into the ghost zone, go through all the trouble of locating some all-powerful ghost with control over time…and the entire time, you seem to think we're just trying to get back to school." Tucker scowled, crossing his arms over his chest to glare at Zeref. He moved to take a seat on one of the benches, observing as students passed by them. Most were teenagers, youthful faces just slightly younger than his own carrying books in their arms for studying. "For once, can't a save-the-world quest bring us to a tropical island with a ton of hot girls? I'll even take just one girl, so long as it isn't school!"

Patting his back, Danny gave his friend a slight smile. "We've got this covered, Tuck. At least here we blend in…sort of." Their clothing was a bit odd considering where they were, but Zeref saw no need for them to change. Fashion was so varied in this era that he rarely focused on if someone stood out or not based on what they wore. More importantly, knowledge was what this school valued.

As if proving his point, a group of students seemed to gather together outside. Zeref wished he could recognize their faces, because at the moment, simply being here was not enough to tell him when this was. One girl pulled out some object from her bag. It looked somewhat like modern lipstick, though instead of actual make-up, a button existed on the top along with intricate runic designs along the surface. From here, Zeref could not see what was drawn, but he could sense the magical aura of the object. However, something didn't quite feel right about it. The power was unstable, not bound properly to the object so the results would likely be unpredictable.

When the girl pressed the button on the top, proudly smiling towards her companions, a shock seemed to jolt through her. She jerked upright, her hair beginning to stand on ends as static coursed through her body. From where he sat, Zeref could see sparks of electricity dance along her skin, while her friends laughed at her actions. However, Zeref could see some of the proper effect taking place. Instead of brown, the girl's hair was now a light green. The styling, however, took away from the desired color-changing effect.

"Ugh, I worked forever on this one! This was for our assignment in Theoretical Magic Manipulation. Now, I'm going to fail before I even try to become a masterful wizard." The girl ran a hand through her now-green hair, flattening it somewhat.

Her outburst was loud enough for Zeref to hear, but the continued conversation grew too quiet. "Yeah, like we'd ever blend in with these freaks." Sam smirked at her friends, seeing them blinking at the slight display of magic with wide eyes.

"Man…it'd be so awesome to have powers like that." Tucker was practically drooling over it. "Imagine, the power to give girls the best gift in the world! Everyone would love us in an instant!"

Snorting, Danny shook his head. "In your dreams, Tucker. I highly doubt that's the best thing magic can do. In fact, I think ghost powers top it anytime."

"I dare you to say that again!" Natsu scowled, glaring at Danny. "My magic is amazing. Can either of you eat fire?" They blinked at Natsu, while Zeref smiled slightly in amusement. At least he seemed to be recovering from his encounter with Igneel thus far. "Ha! That means I've got your stupid ghost powers beat. In fact, I think I won our little fight back at home, too."

"Uh, has he forgotten that he's a ghost?"

Nodding, Danny shook his head. "I think he has. Since when is spitting out fire a magical power?"

Pressing a hand to his forehead, Zeref sighed. "Since the fundamental basis of all magic spells lies within basic elemental manipulation." That made Danny blink and stare at him in surprise, while Mavis smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Mmmhm." Rising to her feet, Mavis turned around to explain it to them. "You see, even if it doesn't seem like it, all magic holds a basis in one of multiple core elements. Now, those core elements vary depending on which theorist you ask about them…however, the truth that they are the basis of spells remains constant. A wizard focusing on mastering one particular element must actually specialize in a specific form of magic within that element—for Natsu's case, he chose fire as his element, and dragon slaying as the form."

"Well, what about you? What element do you specialize in?" Danny seemed to smirk like it was a taunt, daring her to reveal the truth.

Mavis, however, was more than willing to reply. "Technically, my main magic is based in the element of light, specialized in illusion. Basically, I can force you to see things that don't actually exist!" She sounded so cheerful about it, while Danny's smile dropped, his eyes wide.

Laughing, Sam grinned at her. "So you basically had all of Amity Park running with its tail behind in between its legs, over nothing? I like it." Avoiding meeting her smirk, Danny glanced away.

"Well…I guess you learn something new every day. So, why exactly are we here in the first place?" Danny glanced at Zeref, who was narrowing his eyes at the group of girls from before. Their whispered conversation finally seemed to end, and after a lot of gesturing to their gathered group here, the one with the failed spell began to walk closer.

Seeing the others look a bit panicked after what happened with their last conversation, Zeref sighed and shook his head. It was hopeless to get them to understand the culture of this time, at least, in the amount of time they had spent here. "Excuse me?" The green haired girl held out her hand, smiling shyly. "I'm Annette. I saw you sitting over here…and I can't say I recognize your face. Are you a graduate? I've kinda got a question about this assignment in my class…but my friends keep saying I'm going about it the wrong way."

Debating for a moment, Zeref tried to recall the name. There was something vaguely familiar about it, but he could not quite place who she was. Either way, he did need a reason to be here, likely for a prolonged visit. A returning graduate would not fit his needs. "While I am willing to take a look at your work, I cannot say that I graduated from this place." He disliked lying, and that was as close to the truth as he could get. Technically, everyone had perished before he could graduate from here. "I encountered my companions while traveling. My name is Invel, and I work under Irene as a recruiter to her cause in the war."

"Irene?" The girl stared at him with wide eyes. She seemed to clutch her books tightly to her chest, looking like she was about to squeal. "As in..Irene Belserion? The Sage Dragon Slayer? I can't believe you know her! What is she like?"

She leaned uncomfortably close to him, making Zeref frown and glance towards the others. He noticed the way Danny's eyes had narrowed, likely picking up on his false name. "Yes…as for a description…" Zeref trailed off, uncertain of what to say. "She is a powerful wizard, headstrong and stubborn in her ways."

"I bet! You'd kinda have to be to face down the kind of opposition she's getting with the war. She keeps saying we can find a way to peace, that if we work with dragons, we can end the war." Annette sat down on the ground in front of him, rummaging through her bag again to pull out her failed spell. "Anyway, that's not really what I came over here to talk about. See, I'm taking this class..we're supposed to create theoretical magic spells, and then prove that they are actually feasible to use. Either through diagrams, or intense calculations and simulations…it doesn't matter what we use, we just have to prove that in theory, the spell is possible. I went ahead and kinda overdid it, though…I tried to actually create the spell, rather than just designing it."

With his smile gone, Zeref felt his entire body grow cold. He remembered this assignment. This was the day his instructors truly began trying to council him on the errors of his ways. His presentation would be unlike any other the school had seen. Students would be amazed by the theory of a mere child, while teachers would be horrified at the unnatural designs he made. "So that's when…" Zeref trailed off, biting his lip to cut off his words. Instead, he shook his head and tried focusing on the girl's spell.

He really shouldn't intervene. Her passing or failing, however, would make little difference. Annette was destined to die within a few years, based on his calculations. That meant the Eclipse Gate would be theoretically designed in just under a year, though the plans would begin far sooner than that. "Your rune work is excellent, ideal for what you wish to accomplish." Taking the object from her, Zeref studied it for a moment and began pointing out specific sections of her spellwork. "However…these markings here, they are meant to bind the spell to an element with a low conductivity, as they amplify the natural magical energy you imbue the object with. Try placing these runes on a wooden surface, or substituting a similar rune tailored to metals if you wish to keep this style intact."

Blinking, Annette pulled out her book and began scanning it with a frown. "That can't be…I could have sworn I used…" She trailed off, her eyes widening as she found the chart she was looking for. Runes for binding spells to objects were listed, each different to try and tailor to specific spells and objects. While there were plenty more than her book could display, from the options she had been provided with, she had chosen well. "You're right. Oh my gosh, thank you so much! Now, I'll at least be able to diagram how this spell will work. I don't think I have enough time to recreate it in just an hour…" She trailed off, glancing towards him. "I really feel bad not giving you something in return for your help. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Hesitating, Zeref realized that there was something he needed, though it would break any secrecy he had left. Glancing at his companions, he realized that perhaps this had gone on long enough. "I…there is someone in particular I came here to speak with. There were rumors around this area…of a boy who survived the dragon attack in Lilotha. This academy supposedly brought him in, did it not?"

His friends still remained silent, unsure of how to speak with Zeref's cover story in place. "Oh, you mean Zeref, right?" Danny's mouth dropped open, staring at Zeref who nodded at the girl, avoiding his gaze. "He's actually in my class. It's kinda weird, taking a class with a kid as young as him…he's also kind of odd. I don't think he's spoken to anyone other than the teachers, and most of the time, he's too busy reading and studying to even make friends. Life is so short these days…it's sad that he isn't trying to enjoy it."

This girl was a free-spirit, Zeref noted. Far too cheerful during a time of war, but that optimism kept her moving forward. "Believe me, he is far happier now than you might think." He knew what time it was now, and he knew where his former self was. Now, Zeref just had to decide what to do about it. Did he stop just Eclipse, then move on to Acnologia? Or did he go further, preventing his own curse and saving an uncountable number of lives? He did not know, because either path could have so many different consequences on their future.

"Well, I heard rumors that he's got something big planned to reveal to our class today. Whatever he's been working on since he arrived…I think he finally finished it. His friend, Morow told me about it." That name he remembered. It had been one of the few students his age at the academy. While Zeref was quite different from the boy in terms of personality, they had remained close to each other due to the feeling of being outcasts among the older students.

As hard as he tried to remember, he could not recall exactly what Morow looked like, nor did he remember what the boy had been interested in. All he knew was that Morow was the only other person Zeref confided in at this school. Even when all his teachers turned against him, that boy had been there, telling him that with a mind like his, he could succeed. That meant that now, Morow was someone to worry about. He would undo everything Zeref tried to accomplish with this, by trying to push his former self to succeed.

"Sorry, but can either of you explain what the heck you are talking about?" Danny frowned between them, finally speaking up. "I know you said you were looking for some kid around here, but seriously? Some mysterious school project hardly sounds like it is worth our time."

"That's because you haven't heard Zeref's presentations yet." Annette grinned at Danny, crossing her arms over her chest as she gathered her things once more. "Trust me, that kid might not be social…but when he does speak in class, no one can doubt that he's a genius. There isn't another student here that can compete with him in any class, and he's the youngest one here."

With a slight smile, Zeref found himself oddly looking forward to the challenge. He had spent centuries avoiding magic entirely, and now, he was immersed back in a place where it was integral to life. "We shall see. Regardless, there is something of vital importance to discuss with that child…hopefully, he can see reason after seeing just where his choices might lead him."

"Good luck with that. He lost his family to the war…I highly doubt he's eager to run off and fight in it personally." With that Annette sighed, shaking her head. "Look…I'm really not supposed to do this…but I guess I can let you guys sit in on our class today. There's not really any lecture, but you can see just how smart Zeref is for yourself when you watch him present whatever spell he's invented in class. Likely, his will actually be theoretical, unlike mine….but it'll blow your minds, I'm sure of it."

Seeing the others share a look, Zeref realized he wasn't going to get a say in this. Sam smiled at the girl, standing by his side and pressing a hand against his shoulder, putting far more pressure on it that was actually necessary. "We're in. I think it's about time we learned a bit more about this Zeref we keep hearing so much about, don't you?" Tucker grinned and nodded in agreement, while Danny shrugged, glancing towards the black wizard and studying him for a moment. This time, he didn't seem to be angry or paranoid. Instead, he just seemed concerned, which seemed reasonable considering Zeref was about to face the past he had tried his best to bury for so long.

 **I'm loving having a break from classes! It is letting me catch up on my writing for a bit. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Danny Phantom or Fairy Tail

Entering his former school felt even stranger than standing outside of it. The last time he was here, the halls had been empty and devoid of life. For a short period of time, he had made this school his home, after everyone within had died. He had taken the time to clear the halls of bodies and bury his fellow students. While he did so, he had found himself lost in thought, debating what his instructor had told him. It had been very little, but his teacher had managed to state that he had incurred the wrath of Ankhseram. After hearing that, all it took was determination and studying some of the older texts to see exactly what he had meant. In his childhood, Zeref never had an interest in religions, thus books on the gods were ignored. If he had payed attention, perhaps he would have realized there was more fact to those books than he realized.

Really, he had not felt the need to leave this place. It had all the books he needed to research more deeply into what had happened to him, and it still contained what few memories he had after the tragedy occurred. Despite the empty halls, it felt peaceful. No one had to die anymore, not with so little life in the school. Even the courtyard had been devoid of life after just a single day of his curse, but he paid it little mind. No, his method of coping had become distraction. He threw himself into his work, not only researching the curse but also his nearly completed method of resurrection.

As Zeref took a seat in the back of the classroom, he couldn't help but marvel at how far he came. Perhaps his goals had been foolish, but from his first theoretical resurrection spell to the end, much had been refined. Essentially, he established his very own branch of magic to accomplish his goals, a style not a single person to this day had managed to imitate. That was a feat only legends were capable of, and while his was a dark legend, it was still awe-inspiring in its own way.

The classroom they were in was set up in a similar style to an auditorium for the presentations. Desks had been pushed into neat rows and columns, with a split down the center and two sides of the room for people to walk and move around. The front of the room was reserved for presenters, allowing plenty of space for actual demonstrations along with a podium and blackboards for use to demonstrate calculations used. Students were slowly filling the room, and a few gave Zeref confused glances. They knew he didn't belong in this class, but Annette had already gone and explained it to their instructor. According to her, they were visitors trying to support her during her presentation.

Seeing such highly renowned minds accept such a simple explanation bothered him in a way. Regardless, right now he had to deal with the way Danny kept shooting him glares from his side. He wished Mavis had taken that seat, to avoid this situation, but she had been pushed to the edge of their group, next to Sam. Natsu was in the center, between Tucker and Sam, with Danny sitting just beside Zeref. "So…please tell me I am massively misunderstanding this situation." Danny's whispered voice made him sigh, realizing he wouldn't get to wait quietly in peace. "Please tell me we are not about to meet your kid self in some medieval-times like place."

He hoped to get away without answering, but Danny nudged his arm with a scowl, glaring at him again. Closing his eyes, Zeref leaned back for a moment, before slowly turning towards Danny. "I could, however, that would be a lie. If it comforts you, I have determined exactly when in the past we've arrived, though."

"Wait, you remember this specific project in school? How obsessed with your classes were you?" Danny sounded shocked, leaning forward to study Zeref closely.

Slight whispers were heard as more students took their seats, speaking amongst themselves. "This project was my first breakthrough in a much larger scheme. It was also when my instructors realized the dangers of such a determined young mind. As that girl from before stated, you will see exactly why I've earned such a reputation at this school, even though I was still so young."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Danny scowled. "Well, I guess that explains a few things. You kept to yourself to keep everyone from finding out that you decided to travel into the future. What were you trying to do, avoid the war?"

Smiling faintly, Zeref shook his head. "I was not the one who passed through that gate. No…I have truly lived for this entire time. In fact, I've lost track of exactly how many years I've survived for…many moments have been forgotten, and much of my time in this place is gone from my mind. Immortality is not quite the gift humanity believes it would be."

That seemed to stun the boy into silence, which Zeref accepted gratefully. In the seat on the other side of the aisle, another student sat, pulling out a handful of papers with a slight smile on his face. Staring at his dark black hair and white students' robes, Zeref couldn't help but frown at his innocence. This was his younger self, with his legs swinging under his desk as he eagerly waited to show everyone his work. There was a light still in his eyes, hope that the future could be better. With the way the younger Zeref continuously seemed to glance down at his work, the elder version couldn't help but recall how meticulous he had been. Fixing all mistakes, even up to the final moment of the presentation, seemed like something he would be attempting to accomplish.

Class began and presentations started. Few actually did as Annette did, working towards presenting more theoretical models that held no real function. While Zeref found working models more intriguing, he knew that many of these projects would be forgotten by the end of the day. Even Annette's successfully created spell would be forgotten, in light of the alarming presentation his younger self was about to give.

"Zeref Dragneel, are you ready for your presentation?" Since names had been called alphabetically by first name, he was the last to go. The younger Zeref rose to his feet, nodding and pressing what looked like a manuscript's worth of papers to his chest. All of that work, all of it had been built over years, rather than weeks like the other projects. It had been his life's work, despite the fact that he had only been…seven? He couldn't quite remember, but he was somewhere between the ages of six and ten when he established the theoretical model of the R-System.

By his side, he could see Danny and his friends stare at Zeref's younger self with wide eyes. Perhaps some of the shock came from the simple fact that it was him, but a lot of it was likely from the age of the boy on stage. The teacher had gotten up, pulling a stool out from behind his own desk and placing it by the podium for Zeref to stand on, so his head could reach over the tool. The young boy seemed to take a deep breath, focusing on his papers for a moment before turning back out towards the students waiting to hear from him.

"Throughout history, wizards across the world have studied many different forms of magic. Spells have been made for battle and for war, many of which lead to pointless deaths merely within their developmental stages. So, I've spent a lot of my time asking myself, why? Why must so many people die, when there must be more viable methods of preventing death? Healing magic exists, so why not something more? This…this is what inspired me to design this spell…the spell I call the R-System."

Students seemed to frown at his words, not quite grasping what the young boy was saying. Even the elder Zeref's companions looked lost, glancing at the seated version of Zeref for answers. Instead, he remained silent, waiting for them to hear the rest. "This spell relies heavily on magic circles for casting. With such an immense amount of layered circles, a stable structure is required to align them properly…and as such, the design of this spell is unlike any other. For the basic components to work, a tower must be constructed, with the circles engraved along the walls to establish a connection between the structure and the spell." Moving towards the board, young Zeref picked up the chalk and began drawing. "The first circle would look something like this…a base layer, made to be the first stage of the spell. Much of these runes are focused on detecting and sensing, since the first stage is essentially a locator spell. This would be placed on the bottom floor of the tower, around the walls, and depending on the materials used, these runes here could be substituted for…" His voice continued explaining the first circle in depth, pointing out different designs within the circle and explaining their purpose.

Stopping him before Zeref continued on, the teacher frowned and leaned forward in his desk. "Excuse me, Zeref?" The boy paused, blinking at his teacher with a frown. "I apologize…but exactly what is the overall intent of this spell? It seems overly complex for our project here…"

Smiling, Zeref turned back towards his class and nodded. "It will make this a better world, I know it will. No one will have to worry about death…because the R-System is a spell that can bring the dead back to life." Gasps of shock echoed around the room, while people began murmuring with those seated near them.

Rising to his feet, the teacher narrowed his eyes at Zeref. "Such magic is blasphemy! There are reasons such spells are illegal, child, and we've told you before to—"

"No, they aren't! They just don't exist because people haven't figured them out yet. I'm going to be the first." The young boy's hands seemed to clench into fists, and his arms shook slightly. "I know…I know this still has a long way to go. Right now, I can't get around the fact that the R-System requires far too much magical energy to be usable in reality…but, I can modify it. With the right modifications, or maybe the creation of a new power source, I could—"

"Zeref, that's enough!" The teacher rubbed his face, sighing deeply. He was an older man, one of the gentler teachers if Zeref recalled correctly. "You don't understand the forces you are meddling with. Please, leave this alone and take your seat. I will take your notes there as an acceptable version of your assignment today."

With his brow furrowing, the young version of Zeref seemed to focus on his notes for a moment. After studying them for a moment, bending one of the corners slightly, he nodded and brought them over. "I didn't mean to upset you. Really…I just wanted…I thought I could help people who lost family in the war." His voice was quiet, but with the stillness in the room from the teacher's shouts, it was heard even in the back row.

Studying Zeref for a moment, the teacher nodded and gave him a weak smile. "We will discuss this further after class, Zeref. I imagine the others will wish to speak to you about the matter as well. For the rest of you, class is dismissed. For your next class, I'd like you to read the next chapter on layered magic circles and how they interact with each other." Giving Zeref a slightly wider smile, he shook his head. "Though I suppose some of you have read ahead to that section, it appears."

Young Zeref did smile slightly in amusement, but his shoulders were still drooped slightly as students began to leave. Danny, Sam, Mavis, Tucker, and Natsu all rose to leave with them, but Zeref stayed where he was. He needed to speak to his younger self, or perhaps the teacher about all of this. He knew the determination that rested within his young heart, and he knew that without a proper warning of exactly what would occur, young Zeref would feel no inclination to stop. In fact, he would try and hide his work, disguising it as investigating time magic when in reality, he was looking to undo past events to save lives. Despite the altered variation on the spell, it was still a way to bring Natsu back to life.

He could not let young Zeref be pushed into hiding his resurrection work. If that occurred, Eclipse would be created without a doubt. "You are Annette's visitors, are you not? Is there a reason you have not yet left?" The teacher noticed his seated figure, glancing at his companions by his side.

Glancing towards the others, Zeref slowly rose to his feet. He moved down the aisle, walking towards his younger self and the teacher. "Your student's theory is flawed." Zeref spoke calmly, already aware of a mistake in his original plans. He had foolishly thought bringing the dead back to life could occur without sacrifice. That was not the case, regardless of the method used.

Young Zeref blinked at him, his black eyes wide. With both of them side by side, the similarities became more apparent, despite the opposing colors of their outfits. Zeref still wore modern clothing, but it was a dark black long-sleeve shirt this time, with a white stripe diagonally slashing over the front. His pants were dark black jeans, and his old locket still rested at the base of his throat, albeit discolored from so much time passing. As the two Zerefs studied each other, the younger one's eyes seemed to widen. "It can't be…Dad's gone…"

It had been so long that the older Zeref could no longer recall his father's face. Apparently, his own was quite similar. "Not quite, kid. In fact, I don't think you'd believe us if we told you who he was." Tucker seemed to grin at the younger Zeref, while the elder scowled at his interference.

"I don't know who any of you are…but we cannot allow this type of magic to be developed by our students. If you think otherwise, you clearly know little about how magic works."

Unable to help himself, the older Zeref chuckled at his words. "I know little about magic? How odd to hear such a thing. I suppose it would seem so, to those unaware of me." On the teacher's desk, Zeref noticed a small leafy plant, with wide dark green leaves and occasional white petals scattered throughout. "However, if you wish to warn your student away from this path…there is a far better way of doing so than vague warnings of what might occur."

Turning towards the younger Zeref who still couldn't take his eyes off of the elder, Zeref smiled. "You see, I have done my own research into black magic. Despite what you may wish for, despite what you may think, resurrection is magic of the darkest nature, Zeref. If you even get close to uncovering the truth…" Zeref reached out his hand, grasping the teacher's plant. He had control over this now, far more than he ever had. As such, it was simple to make the leaves wilt in an instant, spreading from his fingertips like poison eating away and decaying the entire plant. "This is what you will become. A monster who destroys the world around him. Gods dislike those that interfere with their work…that is a lesson I learned the hard way."

"No…it can't be…" Young Zeref seemed to glare at him, shaking his head violently. "There is no reason for anyone to have to suffer like that. Death can be overcome, I know it can…it has to be…otherwise, why? Why the war? Why all the killing? If people and dragons know it can't be undone…why are they hurting each other?"

"Because life is cruel and harsh. People are foolish, selfish beings, and they seek nothing but their own joy and comfort. Even you are the same…you simply cannot admit it to anyone at the moment." Zeref watched as his younger self adamantly shook his head, still arguing with denial. "If you cannot see that much…then perhaps this will help show you. Your version of the R-System adds in a layer of healing, if I am not mistaken. Tell me, what purpose does healing a dead body serve?" The young boy stared at him with wide eyes. "Is there a single healing spell in existence that can restart a stopped heart? How about regenerate the cells and tissue that have decayed and rotted away with time?" A dark smile was on the elder's face, while his companions watched with wide eyes. "It is impossible to do, therefore…a proper theoretical version of the R-System would bind the soul to another body. One life for another, a sacrifice given to take back what you desire. As I stated before, resurrection is black magic, and such power always requires a heavy toll."

"He didn't even explain that part of his spell in class…." The teacher trailed off, frowning towards the elder Zeref. "Who are you?"

Realizing that there was little point in hiding now, Zeref smiled down at his younger self. "Isn't it obvious? I am Zeref Dragneel…or at least, a version of what he might become. Tell me, are you looking at the future you desire, Zeref? Or am I exactly what you feared most, the monster that cares for nothing in the world around him?"

"That's…time travel isn't…" The teacher seemed to be stunned, while the elder Zeref scowled.

"Correct, it does not. I arrived here with the help of Chronos, not through my own power." He did not wish to allow anyone to get the idea of time travel in their minds at the moment. Hopefully, he could write it off as the god's intervention, regardless of if that god had become a ghost or not.

"Well, since we're obviously throwing away all attempts at hiding…my name's Sam, and these are my friends, Tucker and Danny." Sam smiled at the young child, holding her hand out for him to shake. "Your older self is kind of a freak, no offense. But, I think your presentation was awesome. So, exactly what was wrong with it in the first place?" Her gaze wandered towards the teacher, who avoided meeting her eyes.

Tilting his head slightly, the older Zeref studied her for a moment. "Did you not just witness what I am capable of?" Zeref watched her gaze flicker towards the plant, a slight frown forming on her face. "The more one loves life, the more one is forced to take it away. If one forgets the value of life entirely, complete control will be granted. However, regardless of your thoughts on life and death…you will live on for all of eternity, neither aging nor capable of perishing, a being set apart from time itself." His words sounded distant, almost like a quote from a text book.

"Ankhseram's wrath…" Behind him, his teacher clenched his hands into fists. "So, you actually went and incurred such a thing…but that still does not explain why Chronos would aid you after causing enough devastation to anger the gods."

"Hold on, that god you worship actually does stuff in this time period?" Tucker blinked at them, looking too shocked to buy into it. "Come on, I thought it was just some creepy religion or something!"

Before the teacher could correct him, Zeref spoke. "Few people in our era see the truth of the world around them. They prefer to see patterns where none exist, and interpret balance as the following of laws laid out by the universe. No one sees the greater picture…where untouchable power rests and oversees it all. Gods may not be seen in our world, but they do affect lives when their domains are interfered with. I have interfered with the domain of life and death, thus gaining a curse unlike anything you can imagine."

The child Zeref seemed to be frowning, though his anger seemed to have faded. "So…it is possible. You're from the future, and you have this curse…so that means it can be done." There was almost a lightness to his tone, and a small smile on his face.

Glaring at them, the teacher rose to his feet, shaking his head. "No! I will not have you corrupting this child, even if he is your former self. Magic like this is banned, and if you've been cursed, you know exactly why such a thing occurred!"

With a mild smile on his face, Zeref clasped his hands behind his back. "Perhaps, though considering what you know of the curse, and the fact that you are still alive, what does that say about me?" The man seemed to tremble slightly, taking a slight step away from Zeref. "I am not the child you know, and I have grown much in my time. Years have passed and made me realize that the time I spent here…much of it truly was pointless, in the grand scheme of things. However…there is a matter I came here to solve. You see, you are foolish enough to try and dissuade me from pursuing this magic. By doing so, you force me down roads that lead to even darker magic, a magic that in my era is threatening to destroy the mortal world. Now, I could simply leave and allow this to occur…or you could let me accomplish the job given to me by Chronos, to make amends for the sin of killing a god."

"Or, you could both stand down and let us figure it out." Danny scowled at them, walking over towards the young Zeref and placing a hand on the kid's shoulder. Glancing up at him, the boy seemed to be frowning, confused by what was going on. "You tried to hide this from us! Why wouldn't you say that we were coming back to fix your own mistakes? Did you seriously think we wouldn't figure it out?"

By his side, Mavis glanced away. "No, he knew you would." That made Danny pause, his glare lessening as he glanced towards the girl. "Zeref knew how you'd react, that's all. People are always the same when they learn the truth…no one ever truly wants to stay by his side, not after knowing the things he's done. I guess that's why I'm different, right, Zeref?" She gave him a small smile, while the elder Zeref continued frowning, standing stiffly in the room.

He still didn't quite know what path to take. This was the moment he had to start changing, that much he was certain of. However, he did not know the exact method to use. "Regardless of your opinions, our time to discuss them is over." As if he had cued the action, a loud, high-pitched alarm began screeching through the air. The others flinched, covering their ears while Zeref stared down at his younger self. Danny pulled the child closer to him, almost instinctively moving to protect the boy, while Zeref sighed and shook his head. "A dragon is attacking the school. Next time, please don't foolishly waste the limited time we already have. There is much I need to accomplish, if we wish to fix my mistakes without having unforeseen consequences on our world. After all, we are in a place over a thousand years before our time. Do you truly think changing anything now will not have an affect on your world?" Leaving them to ponder that question, Zeref walked out towards the door. Before long, the others followed, not knowing where else to go without the only person who had actually lived in this time period.

 **And now kid Zeref is in the story! I hope you like the way I've written him as a child. I do have another story going on that puts a bit of focus on a slightly younger Zeref before the curse, but this is my first take on him truly as a child (unless you count brief flashbacks, which I don't). Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

With the alarm ringing through the halls, students seemed to pour out from classrooms everywhere. Danny didn't know what the heck Zeref thought he was doing by hiding all of this from them, but it didn't sit right with him. At the same time, he could hardly blame the guy either, based on what he had described. Basically, Zeref was responsible for a disaster that just might have the potential to destroy the planet. It wasn't the kind of thing Danny would want to broadcast to others either.

Keeping a hand on younger Zeref, Danny rushed out with the others. They seemed to be rather calm, all things considered. No one was running towards an exit, and there wasn't the panic he expected to see if they were under attack. Frowning, Danny began to move into the flow of bodies, with Zeref and his other companions close by. "Attacks happen often. I recall my own discussion about this project being delayed for this very reason," Zeref spoke quietly towards Danny, while the younger version of him remained silent.

"So…does this mean you are going to be able to warn us about every dragon attack in the future? Because that would be seriously helpful." Tucker's comment came with slight strain in his voice as he glanced around him.

His only response was a scowl, shaking his head. "Do you recall every detail of your past?" Tucker shook his head, while Zeref lifted an eyebrow at the boy. "Then how do you suppose I would do the same, when my past consists of a much longer timeframe?"

"Well, how was I supposed to expect that? Seriously, a thousand years? No one is that old and still looks like you!"

"Guys, could you cut it out?" Danny interrupted them, before their argument could get any more involved. "Listen, I get that Zeref kept his secrets and I know that we're still trying to figure out how to work together…but this isn't helping. Right now, we need to focus on surviving this attack and not changing—" Before he could finish, he felt Zeref grab his arm, pulling him back.

"The roof is going to be destroyed in a moment, stand back." Zeref seemed to be waiting, frowning as he gazed at the ceiling. The younger version of him frowned, watching it as well.

When a loud rumbling noise tore through the room, making the walls shake and steadily crack, Danny had a feeling it was coming. "Everyone, get close to me!" Feeling Sam and Tucker rush in close, Danny quickly went intangible, taking his friends with him. Seeing the action, Zeref, Mavis, and Natsu joined in, each resting a hand on their huddle as the ceiling caved in above them. Dust spewed into the air, blinding him for a moment. Coughing, Danny felt his powers rescind slightly, making them visible again as rubble seemed to settle along with the dust.

Not coughing, the younger Zeref gazed up at the now-visible sky. Above them, Danny could see a massive dragon with dark green scales, roaring in anger. "An earth dragon." His voice was calm, almost distant. "The dragon slayers are already here to dispatch it, though. I bet we didn't even have to hide to survive that."

Behind him, Natsu seemed to narrow his eyes at the boy. He sniffed the air for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, sure smells like it." Younger Zeref turned at that, as if noticing Natsu for the first time. He frowned for a moment, before his gaze seemed to focus on Natsu's hair. Then, his black eyes went wide, gasping slightly and turning towards his elder counterpart for a moment. "Maybe I should go and—"

"No." Elder Zeref stopped him, frowning at his younger self rather than focusing on Natsu. "And before you ask, yes, that is Natsu. However, it took me years to reach that point with my studies."

"Aww, come on! Why can't I go fight that thing? My magic is supposed to be for this, so I can handle it."

"Because the dragon slayer dealing with it is Acnologia." His voice held warning to it, something almost ominous with that name. Danny remembered him mentioning it before, but the details were always vague, just mentions of something they had to stop without time travel.

Stopping for a moment, Natsu gazed at the elder Zeref with wide eyes. "Acnologia…that just means I should go out there and beat both of them!"

"Natsu, that is reckless and impulsive. In this moment, he is not the enemy you remember. Despite what you may believe, Acnologia truly joined this war effort to try and gain peace…he did not go mad until humanity turned on him in kind. If you attempt to defeat him now, countless lives will be lost that were meant to live on…likely including those of the individuals in this school." There was a hesitation in his voice before adding that, a pause as he glanced at his younger self before focusing on Natsu again. Seeing that, Danny realized there were still plenty of secrets in his head that he was keeping from them, but now was not the time to dig for them.

"And we do not have the amount of people with strong bonds necessary for Fairy Sphere, either." Mavis warning came from the other side of him, though she gave him a slight pat on the arm. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out. For now, let's just get to safety. Zeref, er…" She trailed off as both Zerefs turned towards her.

"Yeah, we really need to figure something out for this. Dealing with one of you was weird enough, having two is just a nightmare." Danny sighed, glancing towards them. "Older Zeref, lead the way."

"You know, technically I would have the better knowledge of this place. I might not have been here long enough, but studies show that time wears away memories and makes them—"

"Vague, hard to recall, and inaccurate." The elder version finished for his younger self, smiling slightly. "I am quite aware of my faults. However, this school is a place I would never forget. After all, it is where I finished my mission…and it was my first home after I lost everything that truly mattered."

Tucker blinked at him, following as Zeref began walking again. They turned down a different hallway, considering the rubble from the roof now blocked their original path. Students were more scarce now, most likely in whatever safe room they had set aside for this situation. "You know, that's just plain creepy. Finishing each others sentences just isn't right, even if it is yourself."

Sharing a look, both Zerefs shrugged without concern. After a few moments of silence, the younger one seemed to smile, speaking to their group. "I know this may seem rather odd, but I am glad all of you are here. Really, just seeing you…seeing Natsu…I now know that it is possible to accomplish my goals. Nothing can stop me…I will bring him back."

Remembering Zeref's story, Danny rubbed the back of his head and glanced towards Natsu. "Right…about that. See, Natsu is actually—"

"Not now, Danny. Discouraging my younger self is what will lead to…" Zeref trailed off, glancing towards the more youthful Zeref.

"I understand. If there is something I need to avoid tampering with, I will avoid it. So long as I can evade that element while accomplishing my goal, it will be worth it. Then, I can spread my knowledge to others and perfect the art…even managing to evade whatever that thing was you were talking about earlier."

"The curse." The elder Zeref spoke with a frown, glancing towards Mavis who avoided his gaze. "Every word I stated…that is the cost for tampering with the balance of life and death. It does not matter which method you choose to utilize. If you wish to bring Natsu back…that is the price you must personally be willing to pay."

That made the younger boy grow quiet, staring at his feet for a moment. His hands clenched into fists, and his shoulder seemed to tremble slightly. "No…that isn't right. Others shouldn't have to die for him..maybe…maybe I can find a way to go back like you did and—"

"No!" Zeref stopped them all, grabbing his younger self's wrist and glaring harshly at the boy. "I will not allow it…if I must drastically alter the future to preserve life as we know it, I will. If I must kill myself to prevent disaster…I will not hesitate to destroy you." There was something dark in his eyes, and this time, younger Zeref began to look frightened. In an instant, the younger boy teleported out of his older self's grip, reappearing further down the hall.

Sighing, Zeref did the same, following after the boy. When the younger Zeref began to run again, everything around them seemed to change for a moment. The world turned grey, no motion seen in the halls around them. The few students that had been milling around were frozen, and the only people moving were those that came back from the future. "It has been a long time…since I've utilized magic. I had almost forgotten the feel of it." A small smile was on Zeref's face as he approached his younger self's frozen form.

After a moment of silently observing the boy, Zeref seemed to close his eyes, grabbing something off of the wall. Danny thought it looked like some kid's art project, but the wizard only held covered it with his hands for a moment. Danny could have sworn he saw an odd light from within his clasped palms, before he pulled them apart to reveal what looked like a thin necklace, made from the paper. Then, he seemed to hold it in front of his eyes, studying it for a moment before lifting his palm, letting it stand flat in the air, not touching the necklace. It looked almost like he was asking the object to give him a high-five, which just seemed ridiculous. However, that was when dark light seemed to emerge from his palm. A dark purple glowing circle seemed to form in front of him, layered with different runes that seemed to write themselves in the air. It hovered for a moment, as if waiting for a command. Then, Zeref pushed his palm forward slightly, and as if the motion created a breeze, the circle moved. It attached to the necklace, wrapping around the surface and altering its own size to adjust to the object. After a few more moments, the piece of paper now seemed to have odd purple patterns traced along the surface, nearly unseeable due to the small size.

Watching the elder Zeref, Danny remained silent as he placed the necklace on his younger self's form. "Okay…even I have to admit, that was pretty cool. What did that just do?" Sam was watching Zeref, looking impressed with his little trick.

Stepping back from the child, Zeref didn't even glance towards her. "A magic sealing spell. This way, he cannot flee regardless of his own desires. Now that he has the idea in his head to travel through time…this will not be easy to deal with."

"You were the one who gave him that idea, you know." Danny glared at Zeref, who only shrugged. "So, we are dealing with you…sort of. How are we going to move forward with this?"

Tilting his head, Zeref seemed to inspect his former self for a moment, before smiling darkly. He lifted his hand towards his younger self, and suddenly, the young boy began moving again. However, his eyes grew wide when he noticed the change in the area around him. "What…what is this? Time manipulation may exist, but no one has come this far…" He trailed off, turning to see his elder self smiling at the young boy.

"Do you wish to learn?" It was a surprising question. Considering that they were trying to keep the kid away from messing with time, Danny thought this wasn't the right move to make. "I will not lie to you. The path you seek is dark and will cause you nothing but regret. However, if you wish to accelerate your descent into darkness…I am more than willing to be your tutor. I will show you my own magic, a field of magic which no one else has managed to recreate or even attempt to utilize in all of history. The price will be steep, and you will find yourself alone and surrounded by death…however, you will have your brother back. This much I promise you. Therefore, I ask again…do you wish to learn magic from one who has mastered spells far more advanced than anything that exists in this era?"

With the school still frozen around them, the elder Zeref held out his hand to his younger self. Watching them, Danny couldn't help but wonder what angle Zeref was playing at here. There was some plan he wasn't figuring out. He knew from experience that meeting your future self wasn't always a good feeling. Knowing how bad things might turn out normally didn't make things better in terms of imagining your own future. "You…what exactly will you be teaching me?" The younger child looked hesitant, uncertain of who to trust.

Picking up a rock from within the rubble that had collapsed, Zeref smiled. He let it rest in his palm for a moment, before a spiral of pure darkness seemed to surround it. Danny didn't know if something was happening inside or not, as the black magic kept it hidden from sight. However, when the death magic faded away, Danny saw the rock actually took on an oddly human-like shape. It had legs and arms, and seemed to be standing in Zeref's palm, still tiny just as the rock itself had been. "Living magic, the power to imbue life into anything. It goes against the natural flow of the world…however, this is the power you need to bring back your brother. Do you wish to learn, Zeref? Will you bear the price of this magic, in return for what it can offer? For I can assure you, I will not allow you to move forward in researching methods of altering time. That is one branch of magic you will never learn."

Staring at his older self, the young boy seemed to frown slightly. "That is why you're here, aren't you? Another theoretical spell went wrong…and it has put the world in danger." He didn't even pose it as a question, simply stating facts. Despite his age, this kid really was good at picking up on things. "Since it is impossible to go into the past and correct their deaths…then I suppose I have no choice. Promise me that Natsu will have his second chance…and then I'll agree to learn from you."

Glancing at Zeref, Danny glared at the black wizard. "Look…I don't know what you think you're doing, but—"

"Accelerating my past" Zeref's reply came before Danny could finish. He blinked at the black wizard, noticing the way Zeref seemed to smile at his younger self. "By learning to resurrect my brother at a younger age…things will still fall into place as they were meant to. Perhaps a few differences will be seen…but the overall effect will be as minimal as I can establish. Now, our greater issue will be dealing with Acnologia…but that too, can be determined in time." His gaze focused on the young wizard who was frowning in confusion at their conversation about future events. "For now, I have a student to begin teaching, one whose potential has been ignored for quite some time."

 **It has been a while since I've come back to this story. I did finish a draft of how to end it...but I didn't like how it turned out, so I've been trying to think of how to rework the end. As a result, I didn't quite know where changes would begin...hence the delay in posting this chapter. Overall, I still haven't thought of what to change about it, but I have been getting requests for an update, so here one is. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of FT or DP

Apparently, teaching some kid how to resurrect the dead meant they weren't allowed anywhere near the academy. Danny and his friends had been kicked out almost immediately after Zeref began working with his younger self. "Did you not hear the explanation of what my curse is? Compare my mindset with that of my younger self. Perhaps then you will understand why you must leave." Danny had tried to argue against those words, but before he had gotten even a full sentence out, Zeref had somehow magicked him away from the school. He had been trying to return ever since, only to find an odd barrier blocking him from entering the school grounds.

Sam, Tucker, and Mavis were with him outside of the place. Oddly, Natsu was still able to get in and out. That ghost was lucky, though he couldn't blame Zeref for it. The kid was his brother, and from what Danny had seen of the dragon slayer, he was reckless and impulsive. Considering the war going on and the fact that they were keeping a low profile, Natsu was a high risk for changing things that had to be kept the same.

With Zeref busy with his younger self and nothing else to do, Danny and his friends actually found themselves in the nearest town to the school. Trelvain was an odd place, rather busy compared to the first town they had arrived in. People still seemed to walk in small groups and keep to themselves, but what was different was the main street of town. There, a marketplace seemed to have been set up. Unlike the side streets where homes existed, this street was where people seemed to loudly chatter, trying to purchase and sell items to the nearest person. Trust was still gone, as seen when Danny walked by a customer shouting at a vendor for false advertisement. Still, since he was on his way back with a snack, he just ignored it and moved on.

It had been about a month since his exile from the academy began. Mavis had been getting anxious to break through Zeref's spell, but even the only wizard on their team still seemed lost as to how to stop it. She spent most of her days trying to strategize new methods of evading it instead, and simply trying to communicate through the ward. Meanwhile, Danny, Tucker, and Sam had begun to adapt to this place. Things had calmed down once the dragon attacks seemed to stop occurring on a daily basis. Sure, he could see how tense things were, but if it wasn't for the lack of electricity and indoor plumbing, Danny might not have minded living in this era. There was something oddly intriguing about magic and being around wizards, almost like a real life fantasy game. It was a break from fighting ghosts, almost seeming too unreal to be true.

With a faint smile on his face, Danny walked back inside the inn they were staying at. Somehow, Zeref had managed to fund their stay, despite not being present. When they had arrived at the front desk, the innkeeper had simply handed them a key and said it was taken care of. Sam had objected, claiming it was unfair to him, but the owner had shrugged and said someone paid for the room ahead of time. So long as he was receiving payment, she wouldn't complain, but it didn't sit right with Danny either. How had he managed to do that without leaving? Likely magic, but Danny was beginning to see he would never understand all of what magic could do.

"Welcome back, kid. Yer friends are waiting for ya upstairs. Gots ta say, thems some interesting folk ya got with ya this time." The innkeeper's way of speaking almost reminded Danny of someone with a southern accent, combined with the grammar of an elementary school child. Overall, it was understandable, but just barely.

Nodding, Danny smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we're not exactly from around here."

Lifting his eyebrows, the burly man folded his arms on top of the desk, leaning forward. "Yer speaking of ta others? Nah, s'not what I meant. I'm talking about them weird 'uns. The pale lass and 'er grandpappy with 'en odd mark."

Staring as the innkeeper dragged a finger down in a line underneath the slightly wrinkled skin beneath his eye, Danny frowned. However, he probably wouldn't know if Zeref finally sent someone to speak with them about how to move forward or not. So, he simply nodded. "Right, those friends. They are pretty interesting, I guess."

"Shame the youngen looked as she did. I's never seens the likes of it. Dark eyes…endless sadness, like she's da guiltiest soul of all. At least the pappy was there…he had a smile on his face, but it did 'nae look right."

Not wanting to have to focus this much for a single conversation, Danny nodded and began walking towards the wooden stairs in the lobby. They led up to the guest rooms, where he and his friends were staying. Sam and Mavis were sharing one room, while Danny and Tucker took another. However, unless they were sleeping, Sam and Mavis had a tendency to just crash into their room like they owned it too. He didn't mind so much, but he just wanted this trip to be done with already. If they had already found past Zeref, wasn't the problem already solved? However, Clockwork hadn't sent them back yet. Maybe Zeref was right about there being another problem, but Danny didn't want to think about what that might mean.

Danny expected to see a few new guests in his room this time. However, what he didn't expect to see was the forced smile on Sam's face as he walked through the door. "Danny! Welcome back. These are some…people who wanted to talk to us. About…erm…what was it you were saying again?"

Sam was sitting on the floor, with Tucker lounging on the bed looking ready to pass out at any moment. Mavis was sitting on the desk just to the right of Sam, across from the bed. Her legs swung underneath the wooden surface as she smiled brightly at Danny and waved. However, turning towards him, having been speaking with his friends, were the two strangers the innkeeper had been mentioning. Seeing the one with an odd bolt-shaped scar underneath his right eye, Danny now understood the innkeeper's earlier gesture. However, that mark looked oddly familiar, as did the long yet thin white beard hanging down from his face. Wrinkles formed near his mouth, but no other signs of aging could be obviously seen. Dressed in a plain dark blue robe and walking with an old cane, Danny was certain he knew this old man.

Unable to stop himself, Danny spoke. "Clockwork?" The man frowned, while the person next to him seemed to study him even more closely. It looked like a child, a young girl to be exact. With perfectly straight white hair, she could have been considered angelic in a weird way. However, the eyes ruined the effect. They were pitch black, and the depth they held reminded Danny of Zeref's eyes.

Moving forward, the child stared up to meet his eyes. "Odd. This one appears to have knowledge of something he should not. Do you agree?"

Nodding, the old man frowned. "Indeed. As one who sees all, I cannot claim I do not know where that name comes from. The question is…why have you come here? An anomaly…one which should not exist…"

"Punishment must be given. Clearly, this energy alone proves they've interfered in my domain." The child had her eyes narrowed, while her companion frowned.

"And his knowledge of my name…no, his very own identity, shows that he has interfered in mine."

"Hold on a sec!" Tucker sat up, holding his hands out towards them. "Don't you two think you're being a little bit hasty? I mean, come on! What have we even done wrong?"

Turning towards him, the old man narrowed his eyes. "Contrary to what you and your friends continue to insist upon, my name is not Clockwork." He paused, glancing back towards Danny. Suddenly, he recalled the way Clockwork and Zeref had spoken before leaving to the past. "I am Chronos, God of Time. You three have trespassed upon my domain, seeking to alter that which must not be toyed with. Time is not a game. Even I am not allowed to intervene…only observe as events pass us by."

"And his companion is Ankhseram, God of Death." Mavis spoke, her green eyes locking on the child. Now named, Ankhseram turned to meet her gaze in return, a dark smile growing on her face as their yes met.

"I see you've already begun your punishment, betrayer." Anksheram frowned. "Oddly, I cannot quite comprehend what to do with this other anomaly, however." Turning around, Ankhseram studied Danny closely. "You. Alive…or dead? Or something else? As soon as I sensed this energy…I knew I had to discover it for myself. What do you think, Chronos? Is he alive or dead?"

Shaking his head, Chronos sighed. "I've told you of the future he hails from. I spoke of it before we decided to speak with them ourselves."

"Ah, yes. The one where another child seeks out the power of a god and forces all of humanity to pay the price. Such an interesting boy…that Zeref."

"Yet you have opted to not curse him, despite his proximity to becoming the boy you punished in the first place."

Nodding, Ankhseram seemed to continue, while Danny and his friends all wondered exactly what was going on. Did gods really just take over his room? Weren't they just trying to punish him for being half-ghost and traveling back in time? However, Mavis still seemed to be keeping up with what was going on, even if Danny and his friends weren't. "You are avoiding this future as well, aren't you, Ankhseram?" The god looked towards her, her eyes narrowed. "After all….your domain consists of life and death. Should all of the world suffer a tragic fate, it would upset the balance you also oversee…and chaos would consume both the realm of time, and the realms of life and death."

Smiling, Ankhseram nodded. "Such a wise girl, for one who had to suffer. I look forward to seeing exactly what makes you this way, child." Mavis did not respond, only looking away. "As for Zeref…there was a different curse I had in mind. If my usual Curse of Contradictions failed once, why should I think a second attempt would teach him any differently? No…there are other fates I can provide for him, others which he never once considered within the realm of my power."

Shaking his head, Chronos sighed. "Your curses rarely vary much, Anhseram. All you do is cause death with them…it is just a question of what you select to dictate that power. Contradictions is so commonplace, after all. Make your target suffer by forcing them to kill that which they love…it is often highly effective, but Zeref already has so little."

"Alright, we get it. You hate Zeref because he tried to bring the dead back to life. What does that have to do with us?"

Sharing a look, the gods paused at Danny's words. After a moment, Chronos spoke. "You were selected by my future self for this task, Danny Phantom." It should have surprised him that his real identity was known, but after Zeref figured it out so quickly, he was surprised more people didn't know at this point. "Save all of our futures, by fixing the past. However…just because you are given this task does not mean either of us can stop regulating our domains. Zeref will still be cursed, and even we cannot intervene and eliminate the rising threat on the horizon. Your very existence interferes with the balance we speak of…and as such, you should be punished as well. However…something about you makes such a fate impossible."

By his side, Ankhseram seemed to take over with a frown. "Simply put, your energy is interfering with my own. I've repeatedly attempted to bind the Curse of Contradictions to your body…yet it continuously is rejected. Never have I seen it before…but now that I sense it for myself, I see what it is. My curse is designed to inflict punishment upon those that live and have altered the balance of life and death. You, however, are not truly alive."

"How can you say that?" Sam objected, glaring at both of them. "Of course Danny's alive! I've been his best friend his entire life. I'd think I'd know if he just stopped breathing one day."

"True, he does have a heartbeat and he breaths air. Not to mention his soul lingers in his body…but if you were to analyze the structural components of his cells and their DNA, you would find that replication has halted. He has ceased to grow, his body's development frozen as he is no longer meant to be alive. Yet…his heart still beats, as if alive. Dead and alive…a unique case." Ankhseram paused, tilting her head slightly. "You should consider yourselves lucky. Because of his odd energy, Danny cannot be punished as he should be. However…that will not be enough to save you. One thing must be done to stop this…one variation on the curse that can punish you just as it punishes him."

Turning towards him, Chronos seemed to narrow his eyes. "You aren't speaking of that variation, are you? The last time you used it was for the man who sought to create an army of the living dead. Your harshest punishment is hardly needed for something as simple as this."

Smiling, Ankhseram straightened her head. "Perhaps not, but it is oddly fitting, considering Zeref apparently continued to create life after receiving his punishment. This should show him better…the Curse of Isolation."

Snorting, Tucker shook his head. "That doesn't sound scary at all. I mean, really? What's so wrong about being alone with nothing but sweet, sweet technology?" Tucker pulled out his PDA and started rubbing the screen almost lovingly. Turning away, Danny sighed. It wasn't like his tech even worked here, but Tucker was still a geek about it anyway.

"It is more than a simple isolation, boy." Chronos narrowed his eyes, glaring at Tucker. "The Curse of Isolation forces the bearer to unleash and uncontrollable haze of death magic…whenever there is someone that has a strong bond to him or her. It matters little if that bond is formed of love or hate, the death magic will still come until none remain that even know of the cursed individual."

On the bed, Mavis seemed to freeze with her eyes widening. "No…you can't…Zeref wouldn't be able to…"

Looking towards her, Ankhseram nodded her head. "It is already done, child. Now, how will you use this, I wonder? I've heard tales of what you could become, Fairy Tactician. Do not disappoint me after I've granted you such a boon." With that, both gods vanished from sight. However, as Mavis turned utterly white on the bed, her hands limply resting in her lap, Danny couldn't help but wonder what this would mean for them. Tears were on her cheeks, likely tears for Zeref, but that would only make things worse. However, after a few moments, those tears began to dry and her green eyes hardened.

Lifting her head, Mavis locked eyes with Danny. "I see what she means, now." She paused for a moment, biting her lower lip. Closing her eyes, Mavis took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. Then, she met Danny's gaze once more. "I have a plan, one which just might allow us to stop Acnologia in his tracks. Even someone with the most powerful form of magical resistance can be thwarted…even someone meant to be immortal can die…all it takes is a moment of thought and planning. Together, we will succeed…but first, we must begin with a dark strategy. Are you willing to follow this path, if it means success and saving our future?" Sharing a look with his friends, Danny, Sam, and Tucker slowly began to nod. It wasn't going to be easy, but anything had to be better than the future that Zeref had predicted would come about. So, taking a seat next to Tucker, Danny settled in to listen to Mavis' plan, thinking about just how easy it seemed to become once all the pieces fell into place.

 **Still no new ideas on what to do to create a better conclusion...but I figure I've waited long enough. As a result, there are actually only a few more chapters left to this story before it is done with. The credit for having Ankhseram and Chronos involved in this story goes to HubrisP, who suggested a bit of a stronger involvement but I couldn't quite pull off the execution, hence the more minor appearance seen here. Feel free to give me any suggestions or feedback you have in a review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

Both Zerefs knew the curse would come. What they did not expect was the violence of the result. Just as before, the entire academy became consumed with dark magic. All life within vanished in an instant, with only the two black wizards remaining inside. However, Zeref did not recall losing control to this extent. True, his younger self was not eight years of age rather than seventeen, but it did not change much of his mental viewpoint on life and death. Once his classmates had been dead, he had turned to mourning rather than valuing more of the living. In an odd way, mourning death did not trigger the curse. It was more accurately missing life, rather than valuing it, so even if the curse was restless in that mindset, it was not active.

Luckily, Zeref had thought to ward the academy from outside intruders during their studies. However, younger Zeref still didn't seem to be having a pleasant reaction. "It…it isn't stopping. Why?" Tears were on his face, his gaze lifting to see his mentor before him. "I didn't care about them! I made sure I didn't…" He sniffled slightly, shaking his head. "All I had to do…was focus. Focus on the mean things some of them said. Older kids said I was weird…that I'd never make any friends. They called me a bookworm…dragon fodder. Teachers called me a prodigy…but they were afraid of me. I could see it in their eyes…they hated me."

Sensing towards him instinctually, Zeref tried to see what was wrong. However, he was shocked at what he saw. He had sensed the curse before, in Mavis, so he knew what the aura of Ankhseram's magic felt like. This was very similar. The same energy that made his hair stand on end was there, the energy that sent chills through his veins and made his muscles grow tense. However, there was underlying layers to that curse as well, ones which spoke of something he couldn't quite grasp. It wasn't exactly comforting to sense in Mavis, but it was still a piece of this magic. In the younger Zeref, he could feel that it was different. In an odd way, it felt like there were spiderweb-like strands leaving his body, searching the world for something. Unlike in Mavis where these strands had seemed to scan inward, these went outward, taking untraceable paths through the air.

Clutching his stomach, the younger Zeref hunched over and closed his eyes. "It hurts…why won't it stop?"

Rising to his feet, Zeref gazed around at the dark haze with wide eyes. "It…it isn't the Curse of Contradictions." How did it produce the same result? He wanted to unravel this spell, see what it came from. The basis was the same, with the same binding procedures as his own curse and the same overall punishment. However, what he was sensing had to be the activation sequence for this magic. Mavis' connections had gone inward, searching for her own values. This one extended outward, indicating it was activated based upon someone else, in some form.

Black eyes met his own, desperate and wide. "But…you stated exactly what would happen."

Lifting his gaze, Zeref wondered what had changed. However, he did not get the chance to ponder it for long. _Zeref! You are still with your younger self, correct?_ Mavis. He should have known she'd be capable of finding a way to communicate, even past his barrier.

Smiling faintly, Zeref nodded. "I am."

His younger self frowned, while Zeref shook his head and closed his eyes. _Good. Bring him outside. There is someone he needs to meet…or more accurately, someone he needs to anger._

"Anger? But why…?" He frowned, tilting his head slightly. "You know of the variation?"

With her own strategies, Mavis was likely able to figure out the same conclusion he had drawn about this new curse. _Yes. To put things simply, we had a bit of an encounter with Chronos and Ankhseram themselves. They thought they could curse Danny as well…but he is not living enough for the curse to take hold._

He supposed that was at least one use for that energy. However, if Mavis had a plan, right now, it would be best for him to start following it. "I see. Then I suppose it is time to begin moving." Knowing that his younger self still was not feeling well enough to move, Zeref picked the child up. It felt odd, carrying himself, but he supposed he'd have to manage. To others, it would look like a father and son. After all, it was impossible for them to be the same person, right?

The thought made him smile, even as he began walking out of the academy. _I'm bringing him to you._ Nodding, Zeref simply kept walking. Then, he saw them coming. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Mavis were all running towards him. "I swear, I saw it over here!" Sam was gesturing wildly, her eyes wide with a clearly fake fear. However, it seemed as if the person she was dragging was buying it. Staring at the dark blue hair and odd markings, Zeref froze. It was too early for this. The war would not end properly.

Meeting his gaze, Mavis nodded. "I've run the calculations, Zeref. Time will be our ally…for dragon slayers have an abnormal defense against magic." She glanced towards Acnologia, who was frowning up at the sky.

"I see no dragon." By his side, a woman about his age was walking. Her belly was rounded, and her hand rested on top of it lovingly. Seeing her, Zeref blinked in surprise. He was carrying his younger self, still surrounded in a haze of death magic, and now a woman who was preparing to have a child stood before them. It wasn't even an average woman, but Acnologia's wife. With her long blond hair and dark brown eyes, she oddly resembled the women of the Heartfilia family who were often forced to marry for wealth over love.

"What…look at that magic?" The woman pointed towards them, while Acnologia scoffed.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Acnologia shook his head. "It's hardly a troubling matter. I can eat magic of any element, after all."

Meanwhile, Danny was frowning. "Well, I guess it must have left. Sorry to bother you about nothing, Acnologia."

"Yeah, nothing we can do about it now." Tucker shrugged, glancing towards the haze.

The girl, however, was frowning. "It doesn't feel right. Maybe there is no dragon…but could you please stop that magic? I believe it is frightening the baby…for it is surely frightening me."

Nodding, Acnologia brushed aside her hair. "Of course, my love. Anything for you."

This was not what he expected from Mavis. It was low, an action that Zeref would come up with, not her. However, as he met her hardened green eyes, he saw something chilling. _The Curse of Isolation is far worse than what we bear, Zeref. My calculations are based on the assumption that you will have the power to deal with the elements of the war that Acnologia once took care of. After all, so long as someone exists that bears any form of emotion towards you, this death magic will continue to exist._

Glancing at the boy in his arms, Zeref felt an odd shudder surge through him. He had done this, to himself. He had forced his own younger self to become cursed, with a curse far worse than his own. Was he rejected? Perhaps, but he had grown used to his fate. Immortality was cruel. Death was harsh. It was his fate to deal with both. Now, his younger self would endure that same immortality, with far more death and bloodshed. As Acnologia walked into the haze, all Zeref could think about was what this meant for the world. Isolation truly would be his only option. He wouldn't be able to love anyone, because he would be too busy avoiding others to avoid letting them care for him.

Setting the boy on the ground, Zeref closed his eyes. They burned underneath his eyelids, tears threatening to fall over this curse for the first time in so many years. As he heard the odd choking noise coming from Acnologia, he knew what was happening. Zeref began to walk away, trying to block it out. It grew louder, more desperate as the dragon slayer attempted to consume pure death magic. However, that noise slowly began to quiet down, fading into nothing. When it did so, he heard an agonized wail from just outside the haze. Moving to join Mavis, Zeref gazed down at her sadly, moisture still lingering on his cheeks. "I am sorry. This was an unavoidable outcome, I'm afraid." By his side, Mavis closed her eyes as well, leaning against his arm.

"It was my plan…I'm the one that should be sorry."

"I'm the one who was cursed."

"Well, I'm cursed too!"

"Mavis, you were merely cursed because I informed you of how to perform that black magic."

She seemed to frown, still trying to grasp at something further when Tucker shook his head at them, laughing slightly. "Dude, you two need to get a room or something. I can't tell you how gross it is to watch you guys argue like parents do…I mean, seriously? You look like you are our age, but you act…like grandparents. At the youngest."

"That's because they are older than our grandparents." Sam grinned at them. "They're like walking vampires, unable to be killed even by the light of the sun. Pretty cool, right?"

Not wanting to bother correcting her, Zeref simply smiled. She wasn't trying to be rude, he could tell that much. Instead, she was trying to keep them distracted. With the end of Mavis' plans, it was what he needed anyway. The past slowly began to fade away from his vision, while they were all dragged back to the present. Vaguely, Zeref found himself worrying over where Natsu was, since the dragon slayer had been resting in his room when this all began. However, it still didn't matter too much as Zeref found himself standing in an odd room. It wasn't his home, nor was it Amity Park. By his side, Mavis still stood. The entire place seemed to be in black and white, with an odd mirror standing before them. Standing next to the mirror was an elderly man with a long white beard, and a thin bolt-shaped scar just underneath his left eye.

 **So, this still feels very rushed to me...but I somewhat ran out of ideas on where to go from here. I hope it didn't turn out too badly, since I was trying to imagine what Acnologia would be like as a dragon slayer before he became the villain we know for this scene. Either way, there will be about one more chapter left to this story, so feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom

"Welcome back, Zeref Dragneel and Mavis Vermillion. What do you think of my home?" Glancing around, Zeref realized where he was. This was Chronos, as he looked when he was alive anyway. The ever-aging form of his seemed to settle only on a more life-like variation of his older self. The landscape was pretty barren, but it wasn't as if Zeref didn't understand. There were a few clocks around them, along with a chair if need be, but most comforts were lacking in the white world Zeref and Mavis now stood in.

Glancing towards Mavis, Zeref frowned. "I know." She focused on Chronos instead. "Why are we here, rather than back home?"

"Ah, that would do us little good, would it not?" Chronos shook his head, moving towards the mirror. When his palm brushed over the surface, it seemed to ripple like water. Suddenly, light came to life on the silver surface. People were walking, laughing in the streets. It looked like an older town, however, not quite modern. "This is the era Mavis lived and died in. Now, if she were to suddenly return to life years into the future…well, things would not be as they should be."

Zeref could see exactly what he meant. In the mirror, he could see Mavis. She was with the other wizards he had trained, though from what he could see, they weren't wizards anymore. "Come on, I'm sure we can find something good at the war site! Someone said those ruins hold ancient magical texts that we could sell for more profit than even the flower you tried to get years ago!"

By her side, Yuri seemed to grin. "Really? Well, what are we waiting around here for?"

Precht shook his head, sighing and rising to his feet. By his side, Warrod smiled. "Indeed. We treasure hunters can't stop now, can we?"

The image faded away, while Zeref glanced towards Mavis. Would she have given up if he had not taught her magic? He knew it was to help some ally of hers, but he never considered the alternative. Either way, he supposed this was at least one possibility. Chronos smiled at him, nodding and touching the surface again. "And this is your current timeline…where Zeref still remains."

Unable to stop himself, Zeref froze at the sight. It looked like Tenrou Island. The mirror was zooming in on the tree-shaped landmass, finding smaller trees and other plants growing atop of the place. Animals scurried about, though at the center of it all, Zeref saw the source of their energy. Tenrou Island was something that had died away with magic. Fairy Tail had preserved it for so long, so when they vanished, the island went with them. However, this was keeping it alive. At the heart of the island, just at the base of the Tenrou tree, a massive magic circle seemed to have been drawn. In fact, there were multiple variations on it. The largest was on the center of the ground, just beneath what appeared to be the unconscious form of an eight-year-old child. It was dark black in color, pulsating with energy every second.

On the tree itself, another circle seemed to bath him in an odd grayish white light. The circle itself almost looked silver in color, a color he did not recall ever seeing used for such spells. However, based on the intent to draw upon the energy of the young boy, he supposed it was expected for it to be odd. The circle on the ground kept him asleep, while the one on the tree kept the island alive. So long as he was not moved or disturbed, Mavis' home would remain. "As you can see…his existence is helping keep an entire island alive."

"And what of the others?" Zeref knew what Clockwork had said. They would be taken away from the timeline, and stand apart from it entirely.

Smiling, Chronos nodded. "With particularly troubling issues such as these…I am left with few options."

Once again, the image changed. Danny, Tucker, and Sam were all smiling and laughing at Amity High. They were gathered around their table for lunch, being ignored by the others like usual. "Ghosts no longer exist…so Danny's powers were removed from his memory." Zeref blinked at him, smiling faintly. "He appears to be enjoying a normal life, unaware of what lies within him."

"He has forgotten everything else from his former life as well." Both Mavis and Zeref spun towards him, blinking in shock. "This is the price one must pay to correct the present. Perhaps I said he'd be able to keep his memories…but that would have caused complications. Already, you two are unable to return, due to the impossibility of recreating memories of your curses. It would interfere with Ankhseram's magic, after all."

"So Danny couldn't even remember us." Mavis frowned, gazing at the image. Danny began laughing, patting Tucker's shoulder. The three got up, moving to toss their trash away and head to class. "I suppose…perhaps that is better. After all, few people these days manage to find happiness in being near us."

Touching her shoulder, Zeref smiled faintly. "I see you've come to understand my own thoughts on the matter." She met his gaze, her green eyes lighting up just slightly. He squeezed her shoulder, sighing and turning back towards Chronos. "Are we to remain here, set apart from the world for the rest of eternity?"

"That is for you to decide." He smiled, a smile that looked disturbingly dark compared to his previous expressions. Afterwords, Chronos vanished from sight, leaving them to their own devices. Oddly, Zeref found it rather peaceful in this room, however. He had Mavis with him, and no one was left that had to die. If this was how he had to spend eternity to make up for the suffering he had caused, then so be it. Mavis was the only person he needed by his side, now that he had seen that perhaps there was a chance for humanity to accept him for who he was, rather than rejecting his entire being. Danny Fenton had shown him for a brief moment what having a friend could have been like, and for that, he would always be grateful.

 **So, a rather short chapter for the conclusion, but an ending nonetheless. I do hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you for reading and feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


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